


A Sacrifice of Memory

by hunters_retreat



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: A lot of people are still alive because I just don't want them dead., AU from Goblet of FIre, Amnesia, Dubcon due to trauma, F/M, M/M, Other, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Slavery, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 02:54:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4812263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunters_retreat/pseuds/hunters_retreat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the end, Hogwarts wasn't the place of safety they all thought it was. Dumbledore was defeated in the castle before Harry and his friends could complete their fifth year, and the rest of the wizarding world is in chaos. Those not sworn to the Dark Lord by fervent belief have taken the Dark Mark to protect those they love. England is a wizarding battleground and the entire country is a shadow of what it once was. But not all hope is lost.</p><p>The Order of the Phoenix is still fighting. Under Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, the Order strives to find a way to weaken the Dark Lord and end his reign. When the Order gets word from an agent inside the Dark Lord's ranks, they think they might get the break they've been waiting for. Instead, they find one of their own, thought dead year before. Ron Weasley was tortured and used as a Death Eater play thing and only the quick thinking of Severus Snape kept him alive. While Harry and Hermione try to heal their broken friend, they find out that Ron isn't as broken as they thought and that he just might be the break they were looking for after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Sacrifice of Memory

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a happy fic. There is a (somewhat) happy ending (because I'm a sucker for them) but please check the warnings. This is a dark story about a world during war and what happens to someone caught but the other side.

 

 

  

 

 

 

The early morning light played off the streets with an eerie glow, lighting the dew and clinging rain from the previous day’s downpour in a way that made it almost beautiful. Harry Potter didn’t remember much about beauty anymore though. Hermione’s laugh, he thought with a small nod, had been beautiful. Back in the days when she had really laughed, before Ron had been taken and anyone that rebelled against Voldemort had been locked up or tortured into confession before being put to death. He looked behind him and found Hermione already in position, half a block down. She wore someone else’s face, but he knew her by the necklace she wore; a gift from Ron after fifth year when Hermione had been so distraught about leaving Hogwarts. She never took it off, not even for disguises like this.

Across the street from her was another face that he didn’t know, but that hid an ally. Draco Malfoy had his eyes on Hermione, watching her back as always. Harry wasn’t sure Draco would have survived as long as he had without Hermione to look out for. She didn’t need it – she was the most clever witch or wizard Harry had ever met – but Draco had needed something to live for and he had focused on keeping Hermione safe in the beginning and she had let him. He never stopped and Hermione still didn’t put a stop to it. It almost made Harry smile, but a motion caught his eye and he turned to see Remus and Sirius step onto the platform. It was time.

There was no whistle blowing to announce the train as it pulled past the small village. It wouldn’t stop if their information was correct, but they had taken care of that already. A series of small explosions had been detonated at intervals to make the track unstable. They just had to wait for the sign and they could apparate to the coordinates.

The train was massive and made the Hogwarts Express look like a toy model in comparison but Harry barely noticed. The train was crawling with Dementors and even as they sped past he could feel them trying to drain what little happiness he had these days. There weren’t a lot of things to be happy about since Voldemort had come into power – the few moments of blessed time that he got to spend alone with Hermione and Draco - but he grit his teeth and held onto them tightly.

He watched Sirius and Remus apparate and he waited. It only took a few minutes for the crash to sound in his ears and the screams of the Dementors were almost as loud. He’d been told that not everyone heard them as loudly, but none of those that he kept close now could have missed that sound. Remus reappeared again, flashing a red wand before he disappeared. Plan A it was. Harry didn’t look back to see if Hermione and Draco were following to the crash site but apparated to his place along the tree line.

The train had derailed and Harry could smell the smoke as it poured out of the main cabin. Blood hung in the air and Harry wondered how many people died in the crash, how much more blood he’d added to the seas of it that had stained his hands, but he refused to think about it now. He just had to hope that whoever they had come to get had survived the crash.

“ _Expecto Patronum,_ ” Harry heard Remus’ voice clearly even against the noise of the wounded and the flames. Harry ran into the middle of the wreck and added his own Patronus to his former professor’s as the Dementors began to slide out of the train and towards the men and women who were trying to get the captives. There were safe houses waiting for anyone that escaped – they still had friends even If they were few and far between – and Amos Diggory was waiting to escort people along that route once they got them to safety.

There was a large crash from the other side of the train and Harry looked up in time to see Hermione’s face turn white. The train had exploded from the inside and Severus Snape stepped out of the wreckage. Harry had once considered him the most reviled man alive, but that was before he understood the depths of Snape’s devotion to Dumbledore and the level of danger he’d put himself in all these years to keep Voldemort unaware of his true allegiance.

For one moment, he brought his arm up to throw a curse at the man before anyone could get the idea that Snape was a part of the train attack but then Snape turned and Harry saw that someone was clinging to his arm.

When Snape made contact he’d said they had to move immediately and that there was someone they needed to rescue on the train. He hadn’t said who and he hadn’t said why.

Harry lost himself in the middle of the battle because there was no mistaking the red mop of hair, no matter how odd it was to see it buried against Snape’s neck.

“Harry!” He ducked as Draco screamed another curse out, taking down the Deatheater who had been about to jinx Harry.

“We won’t get him out of here with you two freaking out, Potter!”

It snapped Harry back to the moment and he could see Hermione shaking herself as well. They swung back into action; the three of them moving as one to attack and counter the movements of their enemies. They were well skilled and even better practiced at this type of warfare and though time went on indefinitely for him, over the stench of blood and the groans of the injured and dying, there were finally no Dementors or Death Eaters left.

Harry had lost track of his Godfather and Remus, but he knew exactly where Snape was. When Draco had wrapped a hand around his arm and forced him to look his way, he knew the battle was done. “Let’s find him.”

There was nothing pleasant in Draco’s eyes and Harry had to suppress a shiver. If anyone knew what the Death Eaters would do to Ron it was Draco. He’d refused to kill Dumbledore at the end of their fifth year at Hogwarts and Voldemort had gotten his hands on the Malfoy heir. Draco didn’t talk about it, but he still woke at night sometimes, screaming. Some nights it took both he and Hermione to get him to come back to bed but even worse were the nights when he didn’t do anything but stare up at the ceiling and cry silently.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out, wondering how Ron had survived when they’d all thought him dead. He wondered how he’d survive if he’d been with the Death Eaters for the entire four years. He wondered how long Snape had been keeping them from Ron.

He ran then, ran past Draco and Hermione until he was rushing past Sirius who had apparated in front of Snape.

“How long have you known?” Harry demanded. “How long have you known Ron was alive?”

Remus was there immediately, pushing between Harry and Snape who still held Ron tightly at his side. “Harry, look at him,” Remus knocked Harry back a few steps and it was enough to still the anger that had boiled inside him. He looked at the way Ron was curled up into Snape and the way the professor had his back turned away from Harry as if to protect his former student.

“The Dementors are all gone now. You don’t have to keep him safe,” Harry said as soon as he realized Snape was protecting Ron from something.

“Harry,” Remus said softly, “he’s protecting him from you right now.”

“I would never-”

“I’m not sure he knows that right now,” Sirius said as he put a hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“We need to get the other prisoners. We need to see that our people get to Amos.” Remus looked past Harry to the others. “Go help Draco and Hermione and we’ll get Ron settled.”

“Where are you taking him?” Hermione finally spoke. There were tears in her words and Harry looked back at her then to see the streaks down her cheeks and the redness of her eyes. Draco was a step behind her, but he wasn’t touching her and that in itself was as odd as Hermione still having tears. Harry took a deep breath, forced the air down even though he wanted to scream because he should be thrilled to have Ron back. They were all fucked up though and he knew there was no bloody way they were letting him near Ron until he’d done exactly what Remus told him to do.

“The others will go to Diggory,” Sirius said softly. “We’ll take Ron back with us. We’ll take care of him until you return.”

Snape turned then, not enough to show Ron but enough that Harry could see the grief in the other man’s eyes and he regretted the anger he’d thrown at him. “We need to move now. We won’t be safe long and Ron isn’t ready to be on the run. I’ll keep him safe,” Snape promised. He was watching Hermione and when she nodded, Harry took a step towards her. She shook her head at him and walked away, moving swiftly out of Draco’s reach as well.

Harry heard a sharp pop and when he looked back, Sirius, Remus and Snape had apparated away with Ron. When he looked at Draco he swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. Draco seemed to understand because he gave Harry a small smile. “We’d better hurry this lot on to Amos then.”

Harry wanted to stop him, to bury himself in the familiar warmth of Draco’s arms and forget the uncertainty he suddenly felt, but this wasn’t the time or place. He grabbed Draco’s arm though before he could walk away. “Keep an eye on her,” Harry said softly. It wasn’t necessary but Harry needed to know some things didn’t change.

“Lost your brain since this morning, Potter?” Draco pulled away but as he did he grabbed Harry’s hand and squeezed it for a second before he walked away completely.

Harry looked back to the space where his best friend had recently been and refused to think about the way he curled away from everyone and hid behind Snape. It was so unlike the brave boy Ron had been and the self-sacrificing man he’d grown to become. He looked around the empty fields and forced himself into action. There were no answers to be had there and the quicker they got their people to safety, the quicker he could get to Ron and find a way to help his friend.

**

His Master pulled him in and Ron felt safer as he was able to burrow closer. He knew how important his Master was to Lord Voldemort and he never would have believed he would be allowed free. Ron doubted many things about himself, but he was reasonably smart and he knew the attack on the train had been orchestrated by his Master so that he could escape. He didn’t know why he would go to the trouble over a pet, but Ron had counted himself lucky from the first day Master Snape had taken him in.

The train had been terrifying though, being onboard with the Dementors. Master had kept him close but when the train had derailed and the commotion started, Ron would have hidden under the seats and waited it out if Master hadn’t pulled him out of the wreck and away from the violence.

He should have known it would get worse before it got better, but once they reached a place where his Master said it was safe, the others came. They looked at him with pleading, hopeful eyes and he didn’t know what they wanted from him. Anger filled the room though when Potter and Granger came back and his Master had left, telling Ron he had something to care for to make sure they were truly safe. Master had left immediately and as soon as he was gone Ron began to shake. For a while, he couldn’t remember where he was and he’d flashed back to the last time his Master had left him. He threw himself at the others and forgot himself so completely that he’d demanded to know what Snape was doing.

He woke a little later and knew that they’d put a spell on him. His body didn’t hurt any more than it had before so he counted himself lucky that they didn’t want to make a sport of hurting him like the others had, but he still wanted his Master. He kept his voice quiet now, afraid of what they’d do if they had to put him to sleep again. He called for his Master and the others taunted him by saying he wasn’t there.

It was cruel and they surely had to have seen how distraught he was, even when he remembered it wasn’t like before, that Master said he’d be safe here. It wasn’t until the blond boy that Ron didn’t at all like came over and told him straight out that his Master would be back that he was able to calm himself a little. The others had been upset that their fun was over but Ron had to hold onto the hope that Master Snape would be coming back for him and he would be safe with his Master again.

**

Nothing seemed to go right once they were home.  Ron was safe from the Death Eaters and there were a number of other soldiers for the cause that they’d freed. Once they’d sent the others off with Amos though, they got back to the order to find an almost catatonic Ron.  Harry was trying to stay close to him, to keep Ron calm but Hermione could see that even Harry’s patience was growing thin.

Snape had left Ron with Sirius and Remus and he’d yet to return. No one was sure how to handle the way Ron muttered Snape’s name every few minutes, eyes searching the room.  Each time they reassured him that Snape wasn’t there he pulled away from them.  Severus had been a huge boon to the Order of the Phoenix for as long as it had existed and Hermione had a hard time believing that their former professor could have hurt Ron, but the way Ron wanted to cling to him wasn’t natural. How long had Severus known Ron was alive and why hadn’t he said something? What had been done to Ron and who was responsible? She didn’t want to think that Severus had done anything to cause Ron’s anguish, but she could see it in all their faces.  Doubt crept in a little further each time Ron muttered his name and drew in on himself. 

“Snape,” Ron whispered again but this time Harry didn’t say anything. 

After a moment of silence, Draco walked closer, looking at Ron in a way Hermione didn’t recognize.  She feared this confrontation and it had been eating at her; this worry about Draco when she should be focused on Ron.  Her relationship with Draco had been hard-forged though and none of them had ever forgotten how she and Harry had grieved over Ron’s supposed death.  She stood to intercept Draco, but Harry looked at her and his gaze stopped her.

“Ron, look at me,” Draco ordered, his voice cold and emotionless.

For the first time since he’d woken from the enchantment, Ron looked at someone other than Snape. No, the thought hit her immediately after, he followed the order directed at him. The thought made her shiver.

“Snape isn’t here,” Draco continued as he reached a hand out and pulled Ron’s chin up.  He looked him over and searched his eye for something Hermione couldn’t understand but then he released it with a nod.  “Pull yourself together before he returns. He’ll be back soon and you are disgracing him.  He’s left you in our care until he has time for you and you had best remember who it is that cares for you.”

Draco turned and walked to the other side of the room but his stride never faltered though he had to have felt the eyes that followed him.  Hermione wanted to hate him for the harsh words but Ron made a noise and they were all staring back at him. 

Harry was at Ron’s side as their friend rose to his feet but he wasn’t looking at them.  He was staring at Draco, his shoulders squared and his eyes alive with emotion.  “He’ll return?”

Draco nodded and Ron’s eyes shut, his body shivering.  The expression that crossed over his face was one she could only call relief and she finally understood. Whatever else had been happening to Ron, Snape had tried to protect him from it and Ron knew that. She didn’t know why he didn’t feel safe with them yet, but she knew Snape did.

When she looked back at Draco though, there was only horror in his eyes and she knew that he understood as well. And he would never tell them, any more than he’d told them of the tortures he’d gone through after Voldemort had taken him the night the Dark Lord had killed Dumbledore. He’d swept away with Draco to punish him for his disobedience and Draco still refused to speak of it.

The alarm rang in the kitchen and they pulled their wands.  To her surprise, Draco moved in front of Ron before the others realized he was on the floor, covering his head from the strange noise. 

“ _Patrocinium Sequentia_ ,” they heard in the other room and Hermione let out a deep breath.  The spell was set to warn them of any magic used to come into the house. Any of them coming in knew to reset it as soon as they arrived and it was a specific spell that would only reactivate to one of the original spellmakers.  No one could use a polyjuice potion or spell to trick it.

Severus wasn’t in the room yet before Draco called out.  “Your pet awaits you, Master Snape.”

Ron was on his knees then, his head bowed and eyes on the floor as Snape hastened into the room.  He said no words to them but stopped in front of Ron, dropping to his knees as he held Ron’s face to look at him.  “Are you injured?” he asked softly.

“No, Master,” Ron answered in a voice that was far more firm than before.

Snape searched his eyes and Hermione felt tears falling down her cheeks.  With all the darkness she had seen, Hermione thought she was out of tears but there was something broken in the way Ron sat so strong and still as Snape looked at him.  At the way Snape had fallen on his knees in front of Ron.

“I didn’t think you were damaged in the escape. Did I miss something?”

“They put me under a spell, Master,” Ron said as he looked past Snape to indicate Harry.  “I tried to find you and he put me to sleep before I could.”

Harry looked over at her and Hermione just shook her head.  She had no idea what to say.   Ron had been inconsolable when Snape had left 12 Grimmauld place.  They hadn’t known he was reacting to Snape’s departure and there had been no way to calm him. As thin as he was, they were afraid he was going to make himself sick so Harry had put him to sleep. 

“Do you remember these people, Ron?” Snape asked as he stood.  He held a hand for Ron and he took it, grasping Snape’s hand in a way that made Hermione spit back her jealousy.  He’d yet to let one of them touch him, except when Draco had taken control of him for the moment. 

“There were posters on the wall.  They were wanted.”

“Have you ever talked to them before Ron?”

“No Master,” Ron said as he looked around the room and then turned to face Snape.  “I would have told you if I had.  I’m a good pet, Master.”

He leaned into Snape and their former professor opened his arms to him.  As Ron was held close, Snape closed his eyes and Hermione thought there were tears hidden as he spoke against Ron’s matted hair.  “Yes, you are Ron, a very good pet.”

**

“What the hell do you think you’re playing at Severus?” Harry demanded as soon as Severus walked into the room. 

The others were sitting around the kitchen table, everyone except the miserable Kreacher who understood how to ‘treat a dark wizard’s pet’.  As much as Severus hated leaving him to the care of the house elf, it had to be done by a hand that understood.  It would take time to undo what had been done to Ron, but if there was a wizard in the world that could make it back from the dark places he had traveled, Severus believed it to be Ron.

Draco sat as far from the others as he could, though Granger made an attempt to stay close to him.  Draco would be an ally in this, Severus thought, if he could get past his own experiences and help him.  For Granger and Potter’s sake, Severus knew Draco would try.           

“I have had Ron in my possession for some time now but there was a tracer spell placed on him,” he said before anyone could misinterpret anything.  “When I was able to divine a way to remove the spell safely I arranged for you to rescue him.  I’m afraid it was a long process.  The Dark Lord has placed tracers on many of his captives and they were not careful in the working of it.  There was no way of knowing who did the spell or how they did it. There were, unfortunately, times when he barely survived my attempts at removing it.  I became more cautious as Ron became ill and I was only able to try again once he gained his strength.”

“Why was he ill?” Granger asked quietly.

Severus was amazed at the stillness of the room.  Since his escape from Azkaban, Sirius Black was normally pacing back and forth as his dog form had once paced his cell.  Even the ever passionate Remus Lupin was watching, waiting. 

“Ron was tortured.”  He held up his hand before the others could say anything.  “I was assured his safety when I left but my specifications for a pet’s safety and the Dark Lord’s are not the same.  He was alive and whole, but I don’t know how long he was tortured while I was away on the Dark Lord’s mission.  Other than the transport where he escaped, I have not let him leave my side since.”

“He’s not a pet,” Hermione said, glaring at him.

“Yes, he is,” Severus answered. “He is my pet and he will remain that way until he is well enough to heal.  You have no idea what was done to him Miss Granger,” he reverted back to her last name as he had in school, knowing that they all still thought of him more menacing that way.  “Taking him as my pet was the only way I could protect him and you will not try to keep him from me so long as we are here.”

“Thank you.”

Every eye in the room focused on Draco as he finally spoke.  “They don’t understand yet, but they will.  They won’t thank you for what you did, especially when they understand what you’ve done, but I do.  Thank you for taking him.”

He started to walk out but Harry grabbed his hand before he could leave.  “Malfoy?”

Draco looked at Harry’s hand on his arm for a moment.  They all knew about the relationship that had developed between Harry, Draco, and Hermione, but Harry and Draco rarely showed any sign of affection towards one another in public.  It was all the more surprising to see Harry’s concern when Ron was so broken.

“You don’t know Harry and right now he needs someone who does.  Kreacher will treat him the way the others did, but I assume we’ll need someone to start reminding him of himself.  There’s no one here for him to hate better than me.  He has plenty of reason for it.”

Draco pulled away then but they let him go.  Severus hated to know that Draco was right.  The animosity between Draco and Ron that had developed back at Hogwarts might help him pull out of the shell he’d built around himself.

“Do we need to move the Order?” Remus asked into the surrounding silence.

Severus smiled softly at the way the werewolf managed to get to the most relevant problems while the others were still rolling around with their emotions.

“No, if Ron had broken it would have been long before now and the Order would have been destroyed. Ron didn’t tell the Dark Lord anything.  In fact, part of the reason Ron survived as he did was by convincing himself that he didn’t know anyone in the Order.”

“His entire family is in the Order,” Sirius gaped.

“Yes, I know.”  He watched as the implication hit each and every one of them.  “He became more docile when he finally forced himself to forget who he was.  Bellatrix wanted to kill him then when they realized what he’d done but the Dark Lord wanted to use him.  I think the Dark Lord will someday come to regret that choice.  I have never met anyone strong enough to overcome the tortures he went through and still come out sane.  He is missing pieces of himself right now, and you will all say that his subservience is not the man you knew, but Ron is still locked away inside that mind and in time I believe he will recover.”

“So we’re safe here, but Ron will only recover so long as you are close.” Remus said.  “We’ll trust you to guide us in this Severus, but we need to know what they did.”

“No, you don’t.  He has had every liberty stripped from him, every freedom taken.  I will not tell you what they did but if you must know, ask Draco what he knows of the Dark Lord’s pets.  It was a fate you saved him from and why he is willing to face Ron now when the rest of you don’t know what to do.”

“Severus,” Harry’s voice was quiet, pleading.  It hurt, to hear Lily’s son and he knew if he turned he’d see those eyes staring up at him.

“I wasn’t much better to him, I couldn’t be or the Dark Lord would have taken him from me but I never lied to him and I only did what I had to so that he would be safe.”

“Why did you do it?” Hermione asked.  “You risked so much.”

“I will not be able to return to the Dark Lord again.  I knew when Ron escaped that I would have to stay with him for him to recover, but I was forced to act in the escape as well.  I … if you knew what they were doing, you would not ask why I did it.  Not even in my darkest hour, not in my worst thoughts am I capable of that much depravation.  I am not a good man, but I could not leave him as he was.  Someday I hope he will forgive me for it.”

He couldn’t bear to think of it anymore and he walked out instead.  Draco didn’t say anything as he stood outside the room, watching over Severus’s pet. Snape didn’t have anything to say to the man being faced with his own demons so he just walked past him and into the room where Ron was sleeping. Severus was grateful that he could shut the door between them and leave the war outside for a little while.

Ron was curled onto the bed where Severus had left him earlier, but like a good pet he woke when his Master was close.  His eyes opened and Severus smiled at the way the corner of Ron’s mouth turned up even when he was so exhausted.  “Have you been sleeping?” Severus asked as he removed his cloak.

“Yes, I was waiting for you to join me though.”

He ran his fingers through Ron’s hair, trying not to catch on the knots.  “I just had some business to attend to before I could sleep.”  When Ron stilled, Severus pulled his chin up so that he was looking at him.  “Nothing will take me from you again, Ron.  I promise you that.”

Ron’s eyes widened and Severus could see the start of tears.  He wasn’t sure if it was the promise or the memory of their last separation but he settled onto the bed and pulled Ron close before it could start.  “Sleep now, Ron,” he whispered into his hair.  “In the morning we’ll get you cleaned up and see how you feel.  Kreacher could make us a breakfast to celebrate our escape, I think.  Maybe something your mother used to make?”

Ron looked up at him, frowning.  “I don’t remember my Mum,” he said softly.  “But if I did I bet she made a wicked fry-up.”

Severus let out a small laugh but made a note to see if Molly Weasely cooked that for her family.  He didn’t know how long it would take Ron to find his memories again, but he was determined to see it done.  As Ron settled against him, a contented sigh ghosting over his lips, Severus just hoped that Ron remembered him fondly when it was all over. 

**

The world is going to hell, Sirius Black thought as he looked out at the world from his bedroom window in 12 Grimmauld Place.  The world had been dark before, in the days before James and Lily had died, but there had still been hope.  Their hope had been too far eroded to save the wizards this time around though.  Dumbledore had died at the hands of Voldemort on the night Draco Malfoy had let him into the castle.  Hogwarts had been taken over by the Ministry of Magic and was run by Dolores Umbridge, a hateful, talentless witch who took pride in beating down her students. Harry Potter - the boy that had given hope to so many - was in hiding and rumors said he had been killed by the Dark Lord himself. Sirius knew it to be false but the hope of the wizarding world rested on his godson's shoulders and there was only so much Harry could take.  
  
"This won't help him, you know?  You off brooding about things instead of talking to him."  
  
Sirius looked over his shoulder to see Remus moving closer.  He didn't say anything else until he had his shoulder pressed to Sirius's back.  "Harry is strong.  He'll get through this."  
  
Sirius sighed.  "If Ron doesn't pull out of this, I don't think he will.  His relationship with Hermione and Draco has always seemed so frail.  Ron can destroy the careful balance that has kept Harry going for so long."  
  
"Ron would never hurt Harry.  I don't think he's even capable of it, Sirius.  He might not remember Harry right now but he will and then you'll see how Harry will snap back too.  If there was ever a friend who could turn another around like that, it was Ron to Harry."  
  
Sirius nodded.  "I can't help but worry.  And Snape-"  
  
"Has Ron's best interest at heart.  I know you're worried and Merlin knows having Snape under foot all the time has been hard but Ron responds to him because of what Severus did to save him.  You know what the Death Eaters were doing to him.  Why Snape put his neck out on the line like that for a boy that hated him I have no idea, but I am grateful none the less.  And he loves the boy Sirius.  I don't think he's admitted it yet, but I can see it in his eyes when he's watching Ron."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Then come back to bed," Remus said softly.  "The night will end all too soon and we have plans to make in the morning."  
  
Remus pulled Sirius away from the window and he allowed his lover to do so.  There were nights when Remus was all that kept him sane and there were nights when he was sure he was keeping Remus sane.  He wasn't sure which of them it was tonight but he was grateful all the same.  
  
He's been happy for his friend when he's found Tonks and they'll fallen in love.  He would have happily seen them wedded and living their happily ever after if she hadn't taken a curse for him in a battle with the Death Eaters.  Her last words had haunted him for months and Sirius still wanted desperately to find his cousin Bellatrix and destroy her for what she'd done.  She'd always know Sirius was in love, but in her pure blood madness she's never realized that it was the werewolf, and not James, that had his heart.  
  
They had all known, though Remus didn't see it. If there was a person who had met him who had not fallen immediately into adoration, Sirius had yet to meet them. Remus was kind and gentle and so unlike the beast that stalked him.  He was passionate and faithful and Sirius lived in awe of his lover - that he got to have him for his own.  
  
When Remus pulled him down onto the mattress, Sirius kissed him softly and swore to himself that he would make sure that Remus knew just how loved he was for whatever time they had left.

**

“We can’t stay here much longer,” Harry said softly as he stared into the fire. “We used this as headquarters and it worked so long as we weren’t using it this much. We’re going to draw too much attention though and we need to find a safer place for Ron. No matter how safe we’ve made it, we’ve always known it could blow up on us. With Snape’s defection, the Death Eaters are looking for anything that could be connected to the Order. Bellatrix is sure to remember the house at Grimmauld Place eventually. We can make it out, but I think we all know how bad that could be for Ron.”

The others were sitting around the kitchen table with him. It was their usual place for meeting. The rest of the house was dark and dour and it was only in the kitchen that they felt the warmth and safety that they all longed for. He knew scowls were being directed his way, but he’d been thinking about it for the past week.

“We need to find something that can’t be traced to any of us, where we can keep Ron –and each other – safe.”

“Harry, there is no place in all of Europe that is safe for us,” Hermione said into the silence. “We can’t walk out the front door without wearing a disguise. We came here because it was the only safe place.”

“For how long Hermione? If we keep Ron here it’s going to be the death of us all. We can’t wait until he’s healed to move him.”

“Why not?” Hermione demanded. “He’s getting stronger Harry. We just need to hold out a little longer.”

“For what?” Remus interrupted. “I’m afraid Harry’s right. Though I would love to wait until Ron is fully recovered before we move, it will be too long. His body is recovering his strength, in that you are right Hermione, but he is no less dependent on Snape, nor is he turning to any of us. His body is healing, but his mind is still far from mended. If we have to run, I fear we will ruin what good we’ve done. If we can find another place that isn’t associated with us then we have a better chance of giving Ron the time he needs.”

Hermione looked up at Snape and they all waited. Snape had never been a friend to any of them, but Harry hated the animosity that seemed to build anytime someone asked him about Ron. There was only one of them that seemed to be able to reach Snape without that level of hate and it wasn’t Hermione. Much to their surprise, it wasn’t Draco either.

Snape let out a deep breath as if he’d been deep in meditation. When he answered, he was talking to Remus alone. “We should prepare a move. The Dark Lord will come looking for me and Harry is right. It won’t be long before Bellatrix remembers this home. It would be better to take Ron to a tent in the middle of nowhere than to have to run with him in a moment of chaos. He was not,” Snape’s mouth grew tight, “always so dependent. Even after I returned he had some of the bravery that you knew in him. He knew what to expect then and it gave him a measure of control. Now, he has no idea who he is and what to do. You all look at him with expectations and for him, unmet expectations mean pain. If we move him and he is unprepared I think it will continue to grow worse and worse. If we must move him, then we need to do it where we are in control and I can prepare him.”

“You can’t prepare him,” Draco interrupted. Harry looked back at Draco and was surprised by the anger there. “You can’t coddle him and hope that he’ll recover. You’re making him worse by allowing him to cling to your robes and hope he remembers himself.”

Snape started to speak but Draco cut him off again. “No, I know what you did and I know what you’ve continue to do. I’m not saying he doesn’t need the safety you give him, but it is exactly what you’ve said. He has no idea of the expectations. His life has become subject to everyone else’s whim and you haven’t changed that since he came here. You all look at him and wonder where the Ron you knew is. He isn’t here. He died and what we have left is a man trying to redefine himself.”

He looked at Harry then. “I know better than most what being a pet of the Death Eaters means and though you still see the boy you once knew, you know that I am not the same as I was when I walked into the tower under Voldemort’s orders.”

He looked to Remus then and Harry wondered if Remus understood just how much the Order depended on him. Sirius was the undisputed head of the Order, but it was Remus that made them all work. It was Remus who helped temper Sirius’s passions and who gave him caution.

“Give me Ron. I will not take him from Snape to keep as a pet, but I will put him to work.   We need someplace to take him, so be it. You can look for another place while Ron and I make sure no one entering ever knew the Order had been here.”

Harry held his breath because it wasn’t something he’d expected but it was brilliant. They were all so worried about breaking Ron that no one had thought to give him something to do. Ron had never been good at being idle. He’d gotten into plenty of trouble on his own at Hogwarts – much like his brothers – and how could Ron hope to gain himself back when he was left to wallow in the past four years?

“You know what you’re asking for?” Remus said.

Draco nodded. “I’d have never survived if Harry hadn’t given me a cause.”

Remus’s brow turned down but his lips quirked up at the side. “What cause was that?”

When Draco looked at Harry there was so much emotion in his eyes that Harry thought he might drown. He never knew for certain if Draco had understood the charge he’d given him or if protecting Hermione had just given him something to do to make up for the horrible thing he’d done, but it was obvious that he’d known and understood just how far gone he’d been back then.

“It doesn’t matter now, but it worked,” he said, turning back to face Remus. “I can help him if you’ll let me.”

“He doesn’t like you,” Snape said.

“He doesn’t like anyone that isn’t you right now,” Draco countered. “He will hate anyone that pulls him away from you. It might as well be me. At least then he’ll be remembering emotions that were actually true once.”

“You aren’t that person, Draco,” Hermione spoke up. “You don’t have to make him hate you.”

“Someone does,” Draco said. “I might not be that person but I was. If you get Ron back, then we can work on getting him to like me. Until then, leave it be.”

Hermione looked away and Harry wanted to agree with her, to tell Draco that he didn’t need to make Ron hate him again, but the words died before he could speak. Draco didn’t need to, but he was offering and it made sense.

Remus looked back at Snape then. “Severus? We can’t force the boy away from you without your help. Will you consent?”

Snape looked at Draco and something seemed to pass between them because Draco nodded his head. Snape looked back at Remus then. “So long as his condition does not deteriorate I will agree to it.”

Remus nodded and Sirius stood from the table. “Then we have a plan. We need to find a new location. Hermione and Harry, if you’ll work together, Remus and I will also begin scouting out new locations. Severus, do you still plan to work with your contacts?”

“I do. There are people I need to contact now that I am no longer hiding under the guise of a Death Eater. It will be easier to do without Ron and I was concerned about leaving him behind. With Draco working with him, it will give me the time I need to do this.”

“Then Draco and Ron will clean the house of any trace of the Order and we will make a new home for the Order.”

**

He wasn’t happy about it. In fact, he hated the idea. He hated the way Harry and Hermione looked at him as he got out of bed and got dressed.

“You’re going to get started today then?” Harry asked.

Draco looked back to see Harry sitting up in bed. Hermione was lying on her stomach, her head resting on her hands as she watched him. One of Harry’s hands was running up and down her spine; a nervous gesture he wasn’t sure Harry was even aware of. Hermione didn’t seem to realize but it calmed her also. Draco often moved closer to them when they were stressed. Harry would start touching and Hermione would lean into him, asking for something she couldn’t voice. It’d taken him a long time to learn to accept their need for him but in the end Harry and Hermione were all he had. He did what he could to keep them safe and happy. Just like this.

“It’s better to start now. The longer he stays in this pattern the harder it will be to break.”

“Draco-”

“You remember how it was, Harry, after you rescued me?” Draco looked into the mirror in front of him, watching his own reflection to remind himself that he was a different man now. “The Death Eaters who held me were just toying with me. They weren’t even really hurting me when you broke into the room.”

“You were bleeding. They were holding you up in the air and they were cutting you.” Hermione never spoke of it and it was all the harder to hear it now.

“Yes, but that was just for fun. The rest … I won’t talk about it, but you know I was barely a shell when you found me. I had only been with them for a few months though. Snape took Ron when he was far worse. He won’t break away from Snape on his own and the longer we let him feel safe with Snape, the harder it will be for Weasley to stand on his own.”

“You’ll be nice to him, won’t you?” Hermione asked.

Draco couldn’t help but laugh at her question. He looked back at her and sighed. “No, I won’t but I won’t be mean either.” He sat on the edge of the bed and let the back of his fingers caress her cheek. “I know what he means to you and I’ll do what I can to help him.”

Hermione sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know you will,” she said before she leaned back to look at him. “You’ll see once Ron is back, that the two of you can be friends now Draco. He’ll see who you are now and he’ll forget the boy you were.”

Draco kissed her gently before he sat up straightened his clothes one last time. “I have no doubt that Ron will see me for who I am now.”

He walked towards the door and Harry caught his eye then. A quick glance at Hermione and a thin smile meant that Harry understood him perfectly well. Ron would get to know him for who he was, but that was no guarantee that he would like him for it. Draco loved Hermione mindlessly and his love for Harry was not far behind it. Ron would see that and only time would tell if he could forgive Draco for usurping the place he might have held in their life or if he would hate him even more for it.

When he left the room, Hermione’s eyes followed him and it was only the remembrance of their arms around him that steadied him in the halls of the Black Residence.

He went to the kitchen and found Sirius there. They all took turns cooking but Sirius and Remus seemed to enjoy it the most. Hermione thought it was because it gave them the feeling that they were caring for their family. Harry joked that it was because no one else could make a meal work eating.

“We’re heading out to the east side to see if there is anything still standing,” Sirius said as Draco took a mug and poured himself some tea.

“The last attacks left most of it rubble,” Draco said as he sat down. Sirius set two plates on the table and pushed one to Draco.

“Yes, but the outer rims might have someplace we could hide in. There would be no one close by to see us and only snatchers roam the destroyed cities any longer.”

“A snatcher is all it would take,” Draco reminded him.

“Yes, but snatchers are everywhere. No place is safe from them and we have to go somewhere.”

Draco nodded as he bit into his toast. No matter what else he thought about Sirius, he was a good cook. He loved his godson like a son and though it was sometimes awkward between them, Sirius had been one of the first to give him a real chance at turning himself around.

At first, he had been saved and kept under watch. Sirius, along with Hermione, had been the ones to believe he could change. Sirius understood the Malfoy family though. It was much like the Black family in their pureblood beliefs and the pressures they put on their children to continue the family line in appropriate fashion.

He almost laughed at the thought of what his father would do if he found out about the loves of Draco’s life. His mother, he thought, would be scandalized with it all though a small part of her would be happy that he was alive and had found someone. His father had already disowned him for failing the Dark Lord.

“That wasn’t a happy thought,” Sirius said as he looked up from his plate.

Draco shook his head. “Just wondering what my mother would think of my current life.”

Sirius smiled as Draco had expected him. “Narcissa would have a fine time explaining how her brilliant son had managed to bed a Mud blood and a blood traitor.”

“As fine a time as Walburga would, explaining how a find upstanding Black could bed a werewolf.”

They were both laughing when Remus walked into the kitchen. “What is so amusing this morning?”

Sirius’s eyes twinkled as he smiled at Draco. “Bed time.”

They laughed together again until Remus just sighed fondly and turned to fix his breakfast plate.

**

Ron felt the anxiety in the room as he came down with Master that morning. He was off balance and he was even more upset when Master wouldn’t allow him to be close to him. Since they’d arrived, Master had set firm rules about when Ron could touch him. He was supposed to sit in chairs and could only kneel at Master’s side when they were alone in their room. The night before Master had told him that he had to see to some things that morning and he’d be left behind with young Master Malfoy. Ron had begged not to be left but Master said he’d be taken care of and his begging had been for naught.

Hermione set a plate in front of him when they joined the others in the kitchen. Master was getting drinks for them and Ron tried not to squirm under the witch’s scrutiny.

“Do you need anything else, Ron?” she asked with a small smile.

She tried. Master had explained to him what had happened, how once he had been friends with them and that he’d been strong enough to defy the Dark Lord by forcing himself to forget everyone he had known before. He said Ron was strong enough to remember now, but Ron didn’t think he’d ever be capable of something like that. Ron had never had a thought of defying the Dark Lord that he knew of. He believed Master, he tried to anyway, but the witch always made him uncomfortable. Just like the blond boy always made him slightly angry.

“No, I’m fine,” Ron said, remembering not to lower his eyes or call her by some honorific. She’d cried the first time he did it and Master had to explain to him that they had once been friends, that there might have been more than friendship between them if Ron hadn’t stepped in front of a curse that would have killed Harry Potter. It was unfathomable now to think he could do such a thing but he knew Master wasn’t lying to him. Even when Master had to lie because of the Dark Lord, he’d always warned Ron of the lies when he could.

He ate his toast as he waited for Master to sit beside him. When Master did, Hermione sat a plate in front of him too.

“Thank you Miss Granger.”

“It looks like we’ll all be together for a while, Professor. You might as well call me Hermione.”

It was a peace offering. Ron knew it for that and his master watched her for a minute before he gave her a tight lipped smile. He felt the brush of his master’s hand on his knee under the table before he answered. “Thank you Hermione.”

He didn’t offer his first name in response, but Ron knew how closed his master was to most people. Hermione seemed to also. She took his use of her first name as the peace offering it was as well.

“Do you need anything else, Snape?”

“No,” Master said as he looked at Ron. He knew Master was asking him if he needed anything. When Ron gave him a small smile, he looked back at Hermione. “I think we have everything we need.”

“Good,” Draco said, coming into the room. “It’s about time we all got about our day, isn’t it?”

Ron felt angry just looking at the wizard. He’d never felt such instant disdain for anyone before and yet he knew he was supposed to stay with him while Master was away. He looked away before he could say anything to the other man. Instead he turned to his breakfast.

“What plans have you for the day, Draco?” Master asked.

“I think Ron and I will start on the upper levels. No one has rooms up there but we’ve all been up there searching before. We’ll start up there and work our way down until we’re ready to clean out the living areas.” Draco took a seat across from them and Ron neatly speared a slice of tomato on his plate. Master turned his head minutely and he knew he’d been caught but there was only the small upturn of his lips that meant he’d understood what Ron did.

Harry came in then, carrying a heavy bag that he dropped at the end of the table. Hermione opened it immediately, sorting through it. “Really Harry, how long do you think we’ll be gone?”

“Better safe than sorry,” Harry responded. “It’s not like our plans usually go smoothly.”

Hermione smiled at that and it was the first time Ron had seen her really smile. “You should do that more often,” he said without thinking.

They all turned to look at him and Ron cringed back on himself. “Smile,” he explained. “You have a lovely smile. You should smile more.”

She looked like she was about to cry, but she was smiling more beautifully than before. He wasn’t sure why the moment seemed bittersweet to her, but he could see it in her eyes and in Harry’s.

“He’s right, Hermione,” Remus said as he walked into the room. He must have heard the rest of it and Ron was grateful that he was coming to his aid. “You really do have a lovely smile.”

Hermione lowered her eyes, blushing slightly, and Ron thought he understood why Harry and Draco were so taken with her. They tried to be subtle and he knew it was for him, but just because he was Master’s pet didn’t make him oblivious. Master Snape had often had him listen to others for him. Death Eaters rarely thought a pet was capable of more than simpering and submitting. Master had used him though to gain information and Ron had done his best, even when the others had beat him while Master was gone. He’d kept his ears and eyes open while they’d tortured him. He was no less aware now that he was supposedly safe.

“Where are you off to today, Harry?” Sirius asked as they came in.

“Westside I think,” Harry answered his godfather. “We’ll work our way out to see if there is any place safe there.”

The talk continued as they ate their breakfast. Hermione blushed every time she smiled and everyone seemed intent in making her. It was a far more jovial table than it had been before and he felt that perhaps he had been some small part of that. At least he’d been able to give them all that small happiness after all the trouble he’d caused them.

When it was time for the others to leave, they stood and made to leave together. Hermione took Harry’s arm just as Remus took Sirius’s arm. Ron didn’t pay any attention to them because Master was standing before him. “I’ll be back before night falls, Ron,” he promised. Ron nodded. He tried his best to be strong but it was hard to stand as he was with his Master leaving. He wanted to fall to his knees and beg to be taken with him or ask him to stay but he wouldn’t allow himself either.

To his surprise, Master leaned close and pressed his lips to Ron’s forehead. “Draco will keep you safe in my absence, Ron.”

He took a deep breath and leaned into his Master. He closed his eyes, pretending it wasn’t a good-bye. “I’ll be alright,” he lied for his Master. “Be careful, Master.”

Snape nodded before he turned away. Master gave a quick look at the others who seemed to be startled by his show of affection before he apparated away.   Ron saw the surprise in the eyes of the others but he squared his shoulders and faced them. He’d have stared down the Dark Lord if his Master asked it of him.

As terrified as he was, he refused to let them think he was ashamed of his Master’s claim on him. Harry seemed horrified and Hermione closed her eyes, but Remus seemed to almost smile and Sirius watched him carefully for a moment before he nodded. “We’ll be back as soon as possible,” he said before he nodded to Harry and Hermione and apparated with Remus. Harry and Hermione disappeared a moment later and Ron was left alone in the house with Draco Malfoy.

 

**

Draco let out a deep breath as he watched the others leave. He’d known there would be hell to pay eventually and he was certain Snape had just set himself against the others. Remus seemed to understand what was happening, but Harry and Hermione had not yet come to realize all that had happened to Ron. Draco didn’t want to be the one to explain it – he didn’t want to discuss his own months as a pet of the Death Eaters and he was sure they would make the connection soon enough now – but he saw the recognition in their eyes. They understood one of the reasons Ron clung to Snape now.

Ron was surprising though. He always had been, if Draco were honest with himself. Ron should have cowered away from Draco and the Slytherin - the blood traitor and his muggle friends who came from a family with no money. He never had though. No matter how Draco and his friends had taunted Ron at Hogwarts, the boy had never backed down. He’d always stood his ground and he was doing it again.

“We have work to do, Ron,” Draco said softly. He had no intention of being cruel or mean to Ron. He understood what it meant to be a pet and that Ron was able to stand so firmly already just gave credence to what Snape had told them all. Ron was one of the strongest people Draco had ever met and he hoped that someday they would both be strong enough to be friends. Until then, they had a house to clean out.

“Why are you doing this?” Ron asked. “I know you didn’t like me before this. I can see it in the way they watch you around me. They keep expecting something to happen.”

Draco smiled. “I always thought you were a bit daft at Hogwarts, but they keep telling me I was wrong. Being a Malfoy made me think sideways about a lot of things.”

“Like me?”’

“You aren’t the boy they knew but maybe when all this is done you’ll be the prat I thought you were. Maybe you’ll be the man they thought you were. Guess we’ll see who is right eventually.”

Draco smiled and Ron gave him a small smile in return. “Guess so. Master thinks I should trust you.”

Draco nodded then. His smile faded but Ron just watched him. “I was a pet of the Death Eaters when Harry and Hermione found me and helped me. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, and you used to be one of them when I was too young to understand what a true enemy was. Now I have the chance to repay my debts; to them and to your master.”

Ron nodded then, though Draco wasn’t sure he really understood the depth of his debt. In time, he might. Until then, Draco felt they had a good start. He’d thought he would be able to help Ron by the sheer force of their past animosity but he was beginning to realize how wrong they all were. They wouldn’t help Ron by reminding himself of past grievances. It was the future that would pull him through and maybe their shared horrors would help them forge ahead for something better.

 

**

“The problem isn’t finding a place that’s deserted,” Remus said in an unusual outburst of frustration. “It’s finding a place that isn’t so deserted it’s impossible to set up a base. The destruction is almost complete. There is no running water or power. The number of people that would be apparating in the area would draw attention in ways we’ve avoided by being in the city.”

“We’ll find it,” Harry reassured Remus. “We didn’t think it would be an easy task but we still have time.”

“At least we have enough rooms for everyone here,” Hermione said as she walked into the room. They’d all felt her apparate into the other room so they weren’t surprised when she joined in on the conversation.

Harry watched the tension in her shoulders and wondered just what the last few hours had been like for her. He wanted to walk over and sooth her but she took a seat next to Snape and Harry decided against it.

“Then they’re coming?” Ron asked.

Hermione nodded. “All of them.”

Ron stared at her for a moment before standing up. “That’s great then.” He left before anyone could say anything and Harry wanted to go after him as much as he’d wanted to go to Hermione but he knew he was unwanted there. Snape didn’t follow him either but he watched Ron go and Harry knew the need was there as well.

“I explained the situation to them,” Hermione said quietly. “They know he doesn’t remember them, but they wanted to come anyway. I said we’d send for them tomorrow morning,” she touched Snape’s hand then to get his attention. “I knew you’d want the night to prepare Ron for it.”

“Thank you Hermione, but I don’t know that a year would be enough time to prepare him for the Weasley family.”

“They have a right to be here,” Sirius snapped.

“I don’t disagree,” Snape answered. “The entire Weasley family is a lot to take for anyone, let alone a man who doesn’t remember them. They will be no better than any of you were, watching him constantly for some sign of recognition.”

Hermione nodded. “I tried to tell them that he wouldn’t remember them, but I fear you’re right.” She looked at Harry. “You know how his mum is. I thought she was going to force me to take her then and there until I explained why it would be such a bad idea.”

“What exactly did you explain to her?” Remus asked.

Harry was afraid to know. He hadn’t seen the Weasley family since right after they thought Ron had died. He’d told them how Ron had died saving them but he hadn’t been able to face them since. The others were still out there, working with the Order just as Harry was but it was Remus who talked to them now.

“Everything,” Hermione said. She looked at Snape again. “I … I didn’t know what else to do. I had to say something about the way he looks to you,” Hermione said. “He won’t stop just because they think he should and I didn’t want them to be surprised by it. It was hard enough for us to see it. I wanted them to have a chance to digest it before they witnessed it.”

“You are smarter than we are, Hermione,” Remus said with a kind smile, “and braver. I would not have wanted to face Molly with the truth of what had happened to Ron.”

“I know but it was better to have them hear it all from a friend.” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I need a bath.”

There was a laugh around the table but Harry didn’t think she was kidding. The talk turned to other things and Harry slipped out of the kitchen. A few minutes later Hermione found him in the upstairs bathroom. The bathroom of the Black house was enormous. Harry had lived in smaller spaces than the smallest of the Black washrooms. A large footed tub sat against the wall and a vanity was built into the wall across from it.

The room was warm from the water of the tub and smelled faintly of rose. Harry had found some scented oils in one of the houses they’d searched last week and he’d been waiting to surprise her with it. Tonight seemed a good time.

“Harry? What is all this?” She asked as she stepped into the bathroom.

He pulled her close and held her for a moment, breathing in the scent of her before he released her. She stayed where she was, but looked up at him in surprise.

“I thought you could use a little help relaxing. I know seeing Ron’s family must have been hard.”

She nodded but Harry stopped her before she could say more. “Relax, ‘Mione. They’ll be here in the morning and there is nothing we can do for Ron tonight. We’ll be there tomorrow to make sure his family isn’t too much, but tonight we can relax.”

She let out a deep breath and Harry took the opportunity to help her strip out of her clothes. He took his time and let his hands caress her skin as he placed soft kisses everywhere. When he was done, he held her hand as she stepped into the warm bath.

She leaned back and closed her eyes just as a knock sounded at the door. It opened without waiting and Harry wasn’t surprised to see Draco come in. He closed the door quickly before coming in to settle on the floor beside the bath.    

They didn’t say anything for a long while but then Draco sat up and reached for a washcloth and began rubbing across Hermione’s shoulders. She brought her knees up and leaned into them, resting her head on her arms as she looked at Harry.

“I told them everything, Harry,” she said softly. “I think … they always knew … they could see what was happening even if Ron and I were still too young to see it.”

Harry let out a deep breath and understood why she was so tense now. He hadn’t been looking forward to that confrontation either but he refused to ask Draco to be any less a part of them with the Weasleys present than he usually was. He wasn’t ashamed of Draco and he would defend him against anyone that doubted him; even if it was the woman who had been the closest to a mother since his own had died.

“You didn’t have to,” Draco said. “I was planning to remove myself after they arrived. I don’t want to be in the way.”

“No, you don’t have to do that,” Harry said.

Draco gave Harry a small smile. “Hermione took that out of our hands, eh? I won’t ask you two to face off against the Weasleys without me here to look after you.”

“They won’t be like that, Draco,” Hermione said. She reached out and took Draco’s hand in her own. “They were shocked, but I told them everything. They know you’ve been helping Ron. They’re grateful for that.”

He looked away and Harry knew the doubt that filled Draco. It always came out at times like this, when he was faced with people who only knew the prat he’d once been.

“We’re grateful for that too, by the way,” Harry said as he slunk down and took a seat beside Draco on the floor of the bathroom. “He responds better to you than to either of us.”

Draco shrugged it off but they all knew it was true. “We have a common experience that he can remember well and I have had more time to spend with him than either of you. It also helps that Snape and I are close. Ron is sensitive to the way people perceive Severus.”

“So I’ll never get close to him then,” Harry teased with a small smile.

Draco smiled back. “Give it enough time and maybe being close to me will be enough.”

Harry leaned in then and watched as Draco’s eyes grew wider. “This close enough?”

Draco inhaled sharply before licking his lips. “Not quite.”

Harry smiled again as he closed the distance between them. The kiss was short and almost chaste but it broke the tension he’d felt falling between them as they spoke of Ron.

“They’ll be here early,” Hermione said, smiling down at him from over the edge of the bath. “We should get to bed soon if we expect to get any sleep.”

“It’s still early,” Draco reminded her.

“Perhaps I plan to keep you up a while longer,” Hermione reached for a towel at the end of the tub then and stood, wrapping it around herself.

There were scars on her back but Harry thought they made her more beautiful; a testament to the woman that she was. He knew Draco felt the same and they often played with her scars, tracing them to remind themselves that she was probably the strongest of them all.

“But if you prefer to sit down in the kitchen with Snape or Remus, feel free,” Hermione said as she walked out the door, not bothering with the wet footprints that followed in her wake.

Harry watched her go for a moment before Draco bumped his shoulder. “I always knew she would be the death of me. I just never understood how,” he said with a wicked grin.

Harry laughed as he stood, offering Draco a hand up. It had been so long since they’d all laughed together, but he was closer than he had been in years. They all were and it was Ron who had given them that.

“What a way to go,” Harry said with a grin.

Draco leaned in and brushed his lips against Harry’s before he walked to the door. “What a way to go, indeed.”

When he walked out, Harry followed. Hermione was already waiting in their bed and as the door closed, Harry let his fears for the morning go. He had tonight and he would remind his lovers just what they were fighting for.

 

**

The day began peacefully. Snape woke in the early morning hours with Ron pressed firmly against his chest. In sleep, Ron seemed more the boy he had once been and it never failed to make Snape smile. He still saw shades of that boy when they were alone, but Ron was still hiding himself when others were present. Surprisingly, Draco was making headway with Ron more than anyone else.

Snape pushed the hair back from Ron’s face as he began to stir. “Good morning,” Snape said as he watched Ron’s eyes open.

“Master?”

“We’re still alone Ron,” Snape gently chided.

Ron smiled at the reprimand which was a good sign for the day to come. Some mornings Ron woke in a nearly catatonic state. More often though, he was beginning to wake with a sense of himself. The humor the boy had once known was coming through again and so was some of his independence. Draco had been right when he’d decided to give Ron something to do. He was making good progress, if only the others would see it that way.

“Severus,” Ron said, yawning as he stretched. “What time is it?”

“Time to get breakfast. We have visitors coming soon and we should probably have breakfast before they arrive.”

Ron rolled out of bed immediately but it wasn’t because he was obeying orders. He looked at Snape with mild anxiety in his eyes.

“My family is coming today,” he said softly.

Snape nodded. “They care a great deal about you, Ron. They mourned your death and they are overjoyed at finding you alive again. You shouldn’t fear them.”

Ron snorted. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one with a bloody blank for a brain. They’ll be even worse than the others.”

Snape nodded slowly. “Yes, they will. You aren’t alone though. Harry and Hermione know your family and they’ll do their best to help them understand. Draco and I will be with you as well.”

“I know, I just …” Ron sighed as he ran a hand through ragged red curls. “I thought I’d remember more by the time I started meeting the people I knew.”

“How much did you expect to know?” Snape had no idea what Ron had thought would happen. He’d taken for granted that Ron would simply rely on him to figure things out. Ron had his own ideas and thoughts about his life now and Snape silently cursed himself for forgetting that.

“Anything. Something. I don’t remember them at all.”

“Tell me what you do remember.”

Ron shivered violently but before Snape could get off the bed, Ron came to him. He lay down on the bed and rested his head against Snape’s thigh. “I remember being afraid. I was cold all the time and it was hard to breath.”

Snape ran his hand through Ron’s hair as he spoke, trying to ground Ron in the moment instead of letting him fall into the darkness of his past.

“It’s all blurry, really. Sometimes I feel like I should remember things. When Harry says something and looks at me, it’s like I almost do. When I see Draco sitting next to Hermione, I feel something and I don’t know why.” Ron stood up, pacing the room as he tried to express himself. “I know if I can feel it, then I can remember it!”

As powerless as Snape often felt about the journey they were on, he knew he needed to give Ron the space to move around while he tried to explain himself. If he crowded too close he knew Ron would close up, no matter that he felt the need to comfort Ron.

“I just … I don’t.” Ron’s shoulders slumped down and he stopped moving, eyes fixed on the floor.

“No one can expect you to do more than you already are. It will come in time. The fact that you are remembering anything at all means something.”

Ron simply nodded and it was more than Snape could bear. He got out of bed and stood behind Ron, pulling him back against his chest. “Let’s get breakfast. You’ll feel better after you eat.”

“They’ll be here after I eat,” Ron reminded him.

“They’ll be here whether you eat or not. I don’t want to face your mother and have to tell her that I haven’t been feeding you.”

Ron let out a small laugh at that. “I have a hard time imagining you worried about my mum when you’ve been a double agent against the Dark Lord for longer than I’ve been alive.”

“That my dear boy is because you don’t remember your mother yet.”

He felt the soft shift of Ron’s shoulders as he laughed softly. It wasn’t a real laugh but it was something lighter than it had been and Snape was grateful they’d managed to change the mood a bit.

“Let’s get some breakfast now.”

They went down to the kitchen where the mood was sober. In better times, Sirius and Molly had argued over Harry’s wellbeing whenever they were together and Remus spent those times trying to keep the two of them civil. He didn’t want to know what Molly would be like over the wellbeing of her youngest son.

They were all quiet around the table, Sirius keeping busy by taking breakfast duty. Remus and Harry sat together at the head of the table, talking quietly to themselves. Hermione was sitting next to Harry, eyes on her plate with a concentration he remembered seeing when she used to work out a tricky problem in potions class.

Draco came in last and he took a seat next to Ron. He smiled encouragingly at Ron who seemed to sit a little taller. Snape didn’t entirely understand the relationship that Draco was developing with Ron. It wasn’t quite friendship but it was the closest thing he could describe it as. It was good for Ron, and Snape thought it was probably good for Draco too.

When food was set in front of him, Ron turned to it with all the concentration of a man suffering through his last meal. Breakfast was over quickly. No one seemed to be able to break the tension that was building.

The dishes were cleaned up before there was a loud boom in the front room, notifying them that someone was coming. Everyone looked up, half of them pulling their wands at the ready.

Snape was relieved that Ron didn’t try to hide behind him, but had instead stayed seated, even if he’d leaned in closer to Snape. It was an improvement over his initial reactions when they’d come to Grimmauld Place. Snape would take any signs of improvement as a sign that they were doing the right things.

A moment later there was the sound of people in the front hallway. Remus and Sirius were in the doorway, making sure their visitors were the expected ones. There was an initial murmuring of greetings and the scuffle of feet that meant they were coming. The others stood and Snape stayed at Ron’s side. Ron didn’t get up, but he turned to face the people coming in the room.

“Ron?”

Molly came into the room slowly, as if Ron was an animal that would spook easily. Arthur’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the others- the war had been hard on them all. That Arthur’s first priority was sussing out exits and looking for traps said much about their current times - before he finally let them settle on Ron. The rest of his siblings filed into the room behind him, with the notable exception of Percy. There was bad blood there and Percy had declined the visit, telling Hermione that he would come at another time when his parents weren’t there. It was perhaps the smartest thing the Weasley boy had ever done. His faith in the Ministry had been poorly placed and rumor said he still refused to admit his mistake, causing a rift in the Weasley family.

“Molly,” Snape used her first name to draw her attention and give Ron time to take in the appearance of his family. “It’s good to see you well,” he said calmly. He’d had no real interest in the Weasley family before, but Ron changed everything and for his sake Snape was willing to make the effort.

Arthur came forward, offering his hand to Snape and he took it, hiding his surprise at the gesture. It seemed Arthur was willing to make the effort for his son as well.

“Severus. Hermione explained to us the hand you had in getting Ron to safety. We can’t ever express our gratitude.”

Snape smiled then because no matter what else he thought about the Weasley family, they loved their children and that was obvious. Whatever they had done to raise them, however they had instilled the passion and strength in them, they had made Ron the man he was. Ron had survived because of the people they were.

“Ron, honey,” his mother came forward but Ron stood then, halting her. Snape stood with him, unsure of Ron’s motives.

“I don’t remember you,” he said softly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t. I know everyone expects to walk in and I’ll have some sort of epiphany but it never happens. Whoever you were to me, I buried it so deep I don’t think it will ever come back.”

Snape had no idea what to say. Molly’s eyes were tearing up and Arthur was staring at his son, unable to hide the pain his son’s words caused.

“Well then, now that we got that out of the way,” one of the twins came to the rescue of the group. “I’m Fred and this is George. You might not remember us, but you owe us 10 galleons.”

“And you promised to do the washing for a whole month,” George said.

“And you didn’t finish sweeping my room,” Fred continued. “Being captured by the Dark Lord is,”

“No excuse for squelching on a debt,” they said in unison.

The room was dead silent for a moment, the other Weasleys too appalled at the twin’s cavalier treatment of Ron’s captivity to speak.   A moment was all it took though and Ron’s shoulders shook softly.

“Ron?”

“A gambling debt?” Ron asked, laughter in his voice. Snape had rarely heard humor from his pet and it was all the more surprising considering the context. Snape looked at the twins though and realized he’d forgotten something. Perhaps Ron didn’t remember who he was or the people around him, but his family and friends had known him and at the core, Ron was still the same person.

“Honestly, you don’t expect us to forget it, do you?” One of the twins asked.

Ron smiled at his brothers. “You’ll have to discuss my debt with Master Snape. My last employer was rather stingy with his coin.”

“Perhaps at another time,” Snape said, grateful to the two for the way they’d made Ron feel comfortable. No one else had managed it as of yet. The twins looked at Snape and audibly gulped in unison and it was familiar territory.

“How are you feeling dear?” Molly asked, moving closer to Ron. She was wringing her hands in her lap as if she needed something to do to keep from touching Ron. It was a valiant effort and Snape had a sudden fondness for a mother that would do so much for her children, even if it was painful to herself.

“Good,” Ron said softly, sitting back down at the table. “A lot better than I felt when Master escaped with me.”

Arthur’s eyes met his and there was anger buried just under the surface. Snape had been expecting it to be more obvious but no matter how it showed, Snape would have to deal with it at some point.

“Mrs. Weasley, would you like a cup of tea?” Hermione asked, coming forward with a tray of mugs for their visitors..

“Oh, thank you dear,” Molly said politely. The others took mugs, sitting around the table and when Hermione handed Snape a mug of tea she held it for a moment until he looked up at her. The girl had a wealth of strength in her and Snape gave her a small smile in gratitude. The tea was good, but Hermione’s presence was a balm to all their nerves and he hoped she understood that.

“I’m Ginny,” Ron’s sister said, smiling at him. “I was a year behind you at Hogwarts. We were all Gryffindor, of course.”

She said it as if it should mean something to him but Snape wasn’t sure it would. So much of what Ron had blocked out was centered at his time in Hogwarts. It was hard to know what his pet would remember.

“Did any of us play quidditch?” Ron asked, looking around the table.

“Beaters,” The twins said in unison.

“Chaser,” Ginny responded.

“I was a seeker,” Charlie answered.

“Really? It’s a brilliant game. I’d fancy going to see a match sometime.”

“You were a keeper as well,” Snape said quietly.

Ron looked back at him in surprise. “Really?”

“Harry was the captain of the team and the seeker. You played with Fred and George. You also played against Malfoy who was the Slytherin seeker.”

“The git,” the twins said.

Ron smiled. “The git probably ought not to hide around the corner. Do you have something to add to the conversation Draco?”

Snape looked up to see Draco walking into the room. He’d disappeared when the Weasleys arrived, along with Sirius and Remus.

“Just came looking for some tea. Though to be honest, I think Granger put a spell on Cormac to get you on the team. He was better at the Gryffindor try outs.”

The room was quiet until Ron laughed again. “Seems like something Hermione would do, though I can’t imagine her sitting around a quidditch pitch.”

“I enjoy a good game of quidditch,” Hermione defended herself. “You don’t remember, but before fourth year your father took us to see the World Quidditch Cup. It was amazing.”

“You ever try out?”

Hermione laughed as did Ginny. “Not likely. I don’t like flying.”

Ron shook his head, though he wore a small smile. “There is something wrong with you, Hermione.”

Draco hid a smile behind his mug of tea as he left the room. Snape was certain he’d just come to check on Ron and the way Ron watched him go, Snape was sure he’d noticed it too.

There was a lull in the conversation until Ron let out a deep breath. “So, are there more of us?”

Molly gave a half smile. “Your brother, Percy wasn’t able to come today. He’s a year older than you.”

“You’re all part of the Order then?”

“Yes, we are,” Arthur answered. “I worked for the Ministry of Magic before You-Know-Who came back. We went into hiding when he came into power. There are many of us, hiding, doing what we can until the time has come to strike back.”

Ron nodded. “He used to tell me you were dead. He thought my amnesia was a lie so he tried to catch me at it. I would have believed him. The things he did, I knew he was capable of it, but Master always told me you were still out there fighting against him. I didn’t remember anything, but it always felt good, thinking there was someone out there hoping I’d come home.”

“Every day,” Molly whispered through her tears.

Ron stood up suddenly, backing away from the table. “Master, I …” he nearly ran out of the room and Snape was too surprised to try to stop him. In all the time since they’d been together Ron had never walked away without permission before. It was heartening and disconcerting at the same time.

“I’ll go-”

“No,” Snape interrupted Molly before she could finish her offer. “I’m sure Draco is already checking on him.”

“Malfoy? Why would Ron-”                                            

“Draco is the only friend Ron has right now,” Hermione set the tea pot on the table, facing off with Molly. “Besides Severus, he is the only one who understands what Ron has been through and he is the only one that doesn’t make him feel bad that he can’t remember anything. You should be thankful Draco looks after him the way he does.”

The Weasley matriarch stared at the young woman before her, eyes wide and her mouth opening and closing without sound. Snape was sure Hermione had never spoke to Molly like that before and it was about time the woman saw the steal in Hermione. It was time the Weasleys realized that there was true steal in the children they had once lovingly sent off to Hogwarts.

“What has happened to him?”

All eyes shifted to Ginny. Her back was straight and her eyes were directed at Snape. She didn’t cower as some of the others did when he looked her way, no matter how terrified she’d been in his classroom during her first years at Hogwarts.

“Hermione told you some of it, yes?”

“She did,” Molly said, turning back to him. Her shoulders were stiff and she drew up, as if facing him in a fight. “What I want to know is why he isn’t home with his family, where he belongs?”

“Ron has been through a great deal. We hoped to help him regain his strength before he was confronted with his past.”

“Who is we?” Molly asked. Arthur looked down at his wife with concern as her tone become more and more angry. Snape understood her anger and he knew she needed a place to direct it at.

“I decided,” Snape answered coolly.

“And we supported his decision,” Remus and Sirius stepped back into the room. It wasn’t until Hermione came in behind him that Snape realized she’d left the room. She looked quickly between Molly and Snape and he knew then that Hermione feared what the confrontation would bring.

She should be.

“Molly,” Remus gave her a sad smile. “At first we didn’t contact you because we wanted Ron to gain his strength back. We had hoped that given some time with people he knew that he would regain his memories. No offense meant, but Harry and Hermione were closer to him than family in those last few years and we believed they would be able to help him remember who he was.”

“It was a tough call,” Sirius stepped up behind Remus. “We did what we felt was best. Ron’s reaction here is part of what we feared. Not that you don’t love him, but the face of that much emotion is hard to bear when you don’t remember it. Even with us, he sought out Draco’s friendship. He knows the discomfort it causes us and we are trying to help him heal as painlessly as possible.”

It was an oversimplification of everything, but Snape knew that Sirius was trying to make Molly see the truth. In her anger, she wanted to lash out at someone.

“He is my son and I won’t leave without him.”

“Molly,” Arthur’s tone was consoling and Snape knew he was about to try to reason with her, but he didn’t intend to leave any doubt in the Weasley family’s mind about where his place was in all of this.

“Fine, we’ll be packed to leave by nightfall,” Snape said.

“We?” Molly asked.

“Yes, we. He will not go without me, nor would I so much as ask it of him. Ron leaving this room when he was distressed without me to comfort him was a large step towards his healing and he has lived in this house for three months now. Understand this Molly. He cannot be parted from me and I will not allow it.”

“He is my son.” Molly stood as she spoke and Snape followed her, unable to keep his seat.

“He is mine.”

“Stop this!” Harry yelled at the two of them. Snape didn’t look away from her, but Molly turned in surprise to look at Harry.

“Mrs. Weasley, you’ve been like a mother to me. Your entire family accepted me when I was nothing but a scrawny git Ron dragged home from Hogwarts. Who I was, what had happened to me, none of it matter except that I was Ron’s friend. Right now, I have to ask you to do the hardest thing I’ve ever asked of anyone. You have to understand that Severus is the most important thing in Ron’s life. I know what you heard. The first time I heard Ron address him as Master I was ready to fight tooth and nail to free him from that. You haven’t seen the rest of it though. You haven’t seen Ron slip up and call him by his first name. It’s not often, but when he first got here I’m not sure he was capable of addressing him that way at all. I’ve seen him smiling with Draco. He laughed today. Do you have any idea what a miracle that is?”

Harry looked at Snape and not for the first time they shared a moment of understanding. “You don’t,” Harry continued, “because you don’t know what happened to Ron and you don’t know what it was like when he arrived here with us.”

The family was silent again but Snape felt his own anger rising. It wasn’t directed at the Weasley family but at the entire mess. He’d never wanted to be the double agent for Dumbledore but he’d done it for love. He’d never wanted to put his neck out on the line for anyone like that again, but he had. Again, for love. He was hopelessly in love with a damaged boy who would someday become the man he was meant to be; a man who would remember all too well the things Severus Snape had done to him to save him and how much he hated him.

“What could they have done to him to make him forget everything he ever loved?” The eldest Weasley son asked.

“Nothing they did made him forget,” Snape snapped.   “Do not take the single most powerful sacrifice I have ever seen and demean it by turning it into something that was done to him. Don’t you dare dishonor Ron’s strength like that!”

“Severus,”

He ignored the sound of pity in Remus’ voice and pushed ahead. “He didn’t forget you. When they tortured him for your location, when they cursed him and left him bloody on the floor, when they left him to be a plaything for Dark Lord’s minions, he didn’t speak. When they began experimenting with spells to make him speak the truth against his will, then and only then, did he forget. When he was no longer able to protect the order and his precious family, he did the only thing he could. He forgot them.”

He sneered at the others and he could see that the true depth of what had happened to Ron –and the depth of his own feelings for the boy – was finally perceived. “They did not make him forget. If you comprehend nothing else from this, understand the strength it must have taken him to lose everything that made him who he was. His sacrifice of memory was an act of greatness.”

“Is it such a great sacrifice if you can’t remember it?”

Snape turned sharply to find Ron standing in the doorway to the kitchen. There was a look in his eyes that Snape feared, something of trust and maybe even love that made Snape want to flee. There was no place to run though and Snape knew he never would. Just as he had never been able to turn away from Harry because of his love for Lily.

He ignored the others and crossed the room to reach Ron. Ron dropped his head to Snape’s shoulder and Snape wrapped his arms around Ron, letting the feel of Ron’s heart calm his anger. When he looked down at Ron, he cupped his cheek gently.

“It is an act of bravery the likes of which I hope to never see again. So long as your memory fails, I will remember it for the both of us.”

 

**

“Severus,” Remus watched the two of them together and felt more than ever the need to protect. He’d lost one love to the war and another hung in the balance, but listening to Severus speak of Ron reminded him all over again. “We’ll let you know when lunch is ready.”

This thing between Ron and his Master wasn’t theirs to judge. It wasn’t theirs to witness either and Remus didn’t want Molly or Arthur to interrupt the moment between Severus and Ron. He didn’t want Molly’s overprotective nature to cause rifts with Ron before they could understand.

Severus looked away from Ron and nodded before pulling Ron after him. No one spoke but Remus heard the soft sniffing of tears shed and of those being denied. He had no words of comfort to offer the others if Severus’ obvious love for Ron didn’t give them some measure of well-being.

The tea pot whistled behind him and Remus turned in surprise to find Draco tending it. He hadn’t noticed when Draco had come in but there were fresh mugs set about the table as well as the food Hermione had prepared for the Weasley’s visit. It was a beautiful spread of fruits and breads and cheeses that he feared no one would now appreciate.

Molly’s head was buried in Arthur’s neck, his hand idly stroking her hair as Arthur looked to his children. Fred and George sat together staring at their hands in an unusually silent moment. Next to them, Charlie sat on the bench beside Ginny who simply leaned against him. Charlie was unconsciously mimicking his father’s gesture, running a hand through Ginny’s hair as he looked to his older brother.

Bill seemed unaware of his brother’s gaze as he stood beside him at the table but even as Remus thought it, Bill moved a fraction, letting his leg brush up against Charlie. The other Weasley seemed to take comfort from it. Bill didn’t look down at Charlie, but kept his gaze on Remus. He didn’t say anything, but the look in his eyes was haunted. Bill had been captured a year earlier but they’d managed to get him free before he’d been taken to the Death Eaters.

“Mrs. Weasley, here’s a little something to help settle you before Ron comes back down. Hermione said it was your favorite and went to five different shops until she found it.”

Draco held the tea out for Molly and there was only concern in the boy’s face as he spoke to her. He was smart; inciting Molly’s innate politeness by telling her of Hermione’s trouble locating the tea. The last few years had changed them all; Draco was one of the few who had come to better days because of it. No one could call the life they led good but Draco had love and a place to belong where he could be himself. None of that had been his before. The love of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy was a snake coiled up and ready to bite at the slightest provocation.

Molly looked up at Draco like she had never seen him before, but Ginny saved her mother from having to find her voice.

“Might I have a cuppa?” she asked softly. “I could use a little something about now.”

Draco smiled at her and handed another cup out. Harry followed behind, offering a splash of whiskey for anyone who wanted it.

A hand landed on the small of Remus’ back and as much as he wanted to lean back into Sirius, he couldn’t. He took comfort from the small amount of contact thought before he sat at the table with the others.

They sat together, the Weasley family with Remus and Sirius, Harry and Hermione. Draco moved in the background, coming to and away, seeing to their cups and plates before leaving the room with a tray. When he came back empty handed, Ginny broke the silence.

“He can’t come home, can he?”

She looked to him and Remus wanted to curse the day he’d become her professor in the same way he was filled with awe at her confidence that her former teacher could answer her questions. “Not yet,” he said softly. “Perhaps not ever, but the longer he’s with us the more faith we have that Ron will recover his strength. He will never be the young man that he was, but there are moments when we all see him returning.” Remus looked to the twins and smiled. “His sense of humor was always one of his strong points. Thank you for reminding us of that.”

The twins looked to one another then smiled in unison. “Our pleasure.”

“What can be done then, Remus?” Arthur asked.

“I’m not sure I can answer that,” Remus said softly.

“We have to trust Severus in this,” Sirius said beside him. “He and I have not always seen eye to eye on Order business.” He paused at the snort that brought up from the oldest Weasley but continued without hesitation. “Severus is the only one who knows what the boy went through and what it will take to heal him. And it is impossible to separate them even if we wished it,” he conceded.

It wasn’t a comforting thought; Remus knew they were all concerned about what Severus’ influence on Ron would be. Not that Remus believed Severus would harm him, but the dependency he saw in Ron was an unhealthy matter and he feared that it was one wound time would not heal.

 

**

 

The visits with the Weasley family became more regular. In the three months since their first visit Ron had become as used to them as he had Hermione and Harry. Draco became more comfortable around them as well but Ron could see the way he avoided any intimate contact with Hermione and Harry when his family was there.

It wasn’t that Draco worried they would think less of him; rather he feared the Weasleys would think less of Harry and Hermione if they were forced to face it too often. Ron couldn’t care less what his family thought but Hermione had snapped when he voiced his opinions, reminding him that just because he didn’t remember them enough to want their approval didn’t mean no one else did. Ron understood then. Hermione and Harry supported Draco’s distance but neither wanted it. Ron also saw in that small admission that Draco feared far worse than the Weasley family’s disapproval.

Ron knew Draco’s family – far more intimately than he would ever admit – and he knew there was fear of them as well. If anyone knew of Draco’s fondness for Hermione and Harry they would become targets against him. Hermione and Harry might laugh at that – Harry already topped Voldemort’s wanted list and Hermione was near it – but it would make Draco’s conscience more clouded. Harry and Hermione held their tongues to assuage his guilt and allow him to protect them the only way he could.      

Ron watched them, Harry and Hermione on one side of the table with Draco hovering behind as the Order spoke of the coming days. There was no release from the horrors of the Death Eaters and their list of allies was growing shorter. The Ministry of Magic was useless; a front for Voldemort though they proclaimed to remain strong in the fight against him. Some of the wizarding world believed them; too afraid of the truth of the end times they lived in to see past the lies.

“We are still no closer to finding a way to kill him,” Sirius complained. “It’s all useless unless we can stop Voldemort.”

“Tell me how and I will,” Harry demanded. The argument was heated between them and Ron watched it with a certain degree of amusement. As hot headed as the two were, they never got so far that they would hurt one another. Godfather and Godson shared a bond that even the stress of these times couldn’t sunder.   “I’m the Chosen one aren’t I?”

“For the love of Merlin, stop that,” Remus sighed. He was usually the calm one but he was at the end of his patience tonight. Arthur and Molly had come as Percy had been leaving and the Weasley parents had been almost livid at finding him there.

Remus had tried to keep their arguments from reaching Ron’s ears but he’d heard it anyway. He’d ended the fight effectively by walking in and telling Percy he’d see him soon. When his parents balked at the idea he reminded them that Percy was his brother too. Ron has a right to know him and it wasn’t their choice.

Molly had been quick to anger ever since and it was obvious Remus was at his wits end playing mediator tonight.

“Hogwarts has become his priority,” Severus spoke and Ron turned his attention fully to him. Not that he wasn’t always aware of Severus’ position in the room, but his words dredged up something in the back of his mind. Something from days of pain before Severus had saved him.

“With my defection, Voldemort has placed Umbridge as the school Headmaster. He would not have wasted her cruelty and mimicry of kindness on Hogwarts if there was not something there to be gained. Dementors patrol the borders once again and I have heard that Gryffindor House has been eradicated. Their doors have been locked behind spells of binding so strong I’m not sure they will ever be opened again.”

“What of our friends who returned?” Harry asked.

“The Gryffindor at Hogwarts have been placed in other houses, though I am told they resisted. They were punished but their resistance became underground. She suspects them and punishes them accordingly but they still remain.”

“He’s interested in Hogwarts?” Ron asked, though as he did so he couldn’t help but wince. Whatever was in his mind was attached to something so painful he couldn’t grasp it.

“He is,” Severus said softly, standing to come closer. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” Ron answered in an echoing whisper. It hurt to speak, to hear the smallest shuffle of feet against the bare floor, but he knew it had nothing to do with the present or the movements of those around him. “Master.”

Hands supported him as his knees buckled but he didn’t fall to the ground. He was surprised to be set upon the bench but he couldn’t open his eyes to see who else had helped Severus to move him.

“Something,” he gasped against the pain of memory. “Something happened. He spoke to someone. I was being-” Recall shot through him and Ron shied away from the memory of his torture but focused on the words. “It was easier to focus on their words than to focus on what they were doing.”

He heard a sob from somewhere behind him but he didn’t have the focus to determine who it was. It was an unfamiliar sound and he thought he should probably be surprised by such an emotion from the person giving it but he had no attention for it. Instead, he remembered words spoken in his presence; a broken pup would tell no tales and he had never been meant to live so long as he did.

“He has something at Hogwarts that he needs to protect. He spoke to the woman, Bellatrix. She had something of his and allowed it to be stolen. Dumbledore destroyed it and she wants to prove her worth to him. She wants to go to Hogwarts to find it.”

“To find what, Ron?” Severus asked.

“A Horcrux.”

He pulled himself out of his thoughts as Severus took hold of his shoulders and forced him to look into his eyes. “Are you sure Ron?”

“I am, Master,” he said, taking a shuddered breath. “I don’t know what a horcrux is, but he was sure Dumbledore had figured it out and that he’d started to destroy them. Dumbledore had a list of them and that’s another thing they’re trying to find. Dumbledore left the list at Hogwarts in case anything should happen to him. Voldemort needs to protect the horcrux and the list before they can be destroyed.”

Severus closed his eyes and Ron looked past him to see the true horror on Arthur’s face.

“Arthur?” Ron called them by name, unable to demean their relationship by calling them Mum or Dad until he could be their son again, but he answered anyway.

“A horcrux is a dark, evil thing. It’s creation demands murder and it cleaves a wizard’s soul so that part of it remains behind.”

“Like Tom Riddle’s diary?” Ginny asked.

Silence darkened the room and it was a moment before Ron could breathe. He didn’t know what Tom Riddle’s diary was but he was still too sensitive to the tension of others. It didn’t paralyze him as it had when he first escaped but he had to consciously take a breath.

“Yes.” Severus opened his eyes to say. “Though I would not have thought the Dark Lord possible of such a thing, it was most likely a horcrux.”

“Then they can be destroyed,” Harry confirmed.

“Yes. But Ron said he made more than one. We will need to find them all and destroy them. We cannot leave a single alive or he will remain indestructible.” Severus turned his eyes to Ron then and searched his face. “Are you well?”

Ron nodded. “The memory was painful. It was before you saved me. The things they did … it wasn’t easy to remember the words through the pain but I always listened.”

Severus smiled at him and drew him closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead in a gesture of affection that he rarely allowed others to see. “It was a mistake keeping you alive, Ronald Weasley,” he said softly. “If the Dark Lord understood anything about humanity he would have seen it in you when you first spit in his eye.”

Memory flashed in his head, pain and screaming followed, but for one instance he saw himself before the Dark Lord, bound and helpless but strong in his conviction. It passed with a dizzying speed that made him doubt its truth. He had never been so strong before Voldemort. He blessed Severus for making him imagine it though.

“Then we should make sure he realizes his mistake before the end.” Ron didn’t know where he got the courage to speak like that, but he felt strong suddenly. Severus smiled at him and beyond that Harry and Hermione shared a glance before turning upturned lips to him as well. Even the twins seemed to like his words. It was the others that seemed surprised.

Well, he had a few surprises for everyone then. He had no idea how long his current strength would last, but he wasn’t meant to cower his whole life. He didn’t know who he had been before Severus had taken care of him, or if that man was worth saving, but he had choices before him now and he refused to let anyone else be tortured the way he had been.

Only Draco, standing in the doorway, seemed to understand the moment and he gave Ron a sad smile and a nod of acknowledgment that they would both see it through to the end.

 

**

“It has to be this way,” Harry whispered as they walked out of the front door of Order’s headquarters. “It’ll be for the best.”

It was dark outside and Harry obviously thought they were alone. Ron wasn’t sure why they weren’t. He had no idea how he’d known Harry, Hermione, and Draco would try to sneak out into the night but he had. Severus had watched him for a few minutes when he told him that was what they’d do and he’d just nodded. He felt guilty for leaving his Master behind tonight but he had to stop Harry from leaving before he heard him out.

“Easy for you to say, Potter,” Draco counted. “If things go bad it won’t be you they blame.”

“The members of the Order know who you are Draco,” Hermione said softly. “Not that it matters. You agreed that we needed to go before the others could stop us. If Voldemort has a horcrux at Hogwarts we have to find it.”

“And just where do you plan on looking for it?” Ron asked, stepping away from the shadows.

Hermione jumped and Harry and Draco turned quickly, wands drawn.

“You don’t know what you’re looking for or where to look for it,” Ron said.

“We can’t sit around and do nothing, Ron. We know what we need to do now and we have to go,” Harry answered softly. There was frustration in Harry’s tone though and Ron knew it was because the man he’d once been would have understood. Harry didn’t know Ron anymore though so he didn’t know Ron’s intentions.

“I’m not trying to stop you Harry,” Ron said quietly. “I’m just asking you to consider what you’re doing and what you need.”

“Hermione has had everything packed since we moved. There’s no way she forgot anything.”

Ron gave Hermione a smile because even without his memories he knew that. She probably had ten lists written to make sure they had everything in order. “No, she wouldn’t have forgotten something you needed unless you didn’t know you needed it. What you need is me.”

“Ron-”

“Hear me out, Harry,” Ron said before Harry could tell him no. “The conversation in the kitchen this morning helped me remember something I didn’t even know I knew. We have no idea what else they said in front of me that I need help remembering. I may not be as strong as you but I’m not weak. I can help you.”

Harry looked to Hermione and she looked close to tears. Part of him wanted to comfort her but another part was growing angry. “I might not be the man I was but I’m not a coward. You want to take this fight to Voldemort for what he’s doing to this world? For the things he’s doing to your friends and family? I want to see him destroyed because of what he did to me and every other pet I watched die in those four years. I’m the only chance you have at finding what you’re looking for.”

“Not quite.”

They all whirled at the new voice but the others relaxed as soon as they saw Severus remove himself from the shadow. Ron relaxed marginally but he squared his shoulders, preparing to fight Severus if he had to. He wasn’t sure what made him so strong now as to be able to contest his Master’s will but Ron knew he had to help the others. He had to help his friends.

“You were going to leave without saying good-bye, Pet?”

There was no humor or affection in his voice. There was no anger or hostility either. Severus’ voice was a careful neutral that meant he was at his most dangerous.

Ron wet his lips as he took a deep breath. Severus had never hurt him when the Death Eaters hadn’t required it to keep their cover. They were safe with the Order and Ron hated that he feared the lash of magic even now. He lifted his chin slightly though and nodded. “I would have said good-bye Master but I knew you’d stop me. I have to go with them and they have to go. Please don’t try to stop me.”

“Would you defy me in this?”

“Yes.”

The word hung in heavy silence. The others had remained quiet once Severus showed himself but Ron didn’t doubt they would help him if he required it. Even if they’d been trying to talk him out of going with them, they’d have taken him far enough along to get him away from Severus if they could.

Severus didn’t answer, but looked back to Harry. “Do you really think I would let the fate of the world rest with four Hogwarts drop outs? I was part of the Dark Lord’s plans for some time. What Ron cannot remember, I will be able to divine from my history with him. If you truly wish to be away, then we should begin.”

Ron watched as Severus pulled a bag out from behind him and Ron moved to take it immediately, though he still feared what his Master would say to him. Severus took his hand as he tried to pull the bag away. Ron looked up with wide eyes but Severus searched his face for something Ron didn’t understand.

“This undertaking could bring us to the very people who tortured you. Can you bear that? I would be willing to continue this in your name, even if you felt you needed to stay in the safety of the Order. You don’t have to put yourself in danger.”

Ron nodded slowly. “I do need to. I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t remember them from before but I know I can’t let Harry, Hermione, and Draco leave without me now. The rest is true, they need me, but that was for their benefit. I can’t let them go alone and I can’t let them face the Dark Lord without being a part of it. I’m sorry I disappointed you.”

Severus cut him off before he could say anything more. “I am not disappointed in you, Ron. I understand why you want to go and I understood it when you told me they would go. You might not remember them but some part of you recognizes the bonds you once held. You are a stronger man than any of us ever thought. No, I am not disappointed in you, my Pet. I am honored to travel this path at your side.”

Ron let out a shuttered breath and stepped closer to Severus. He felt the older man’s arms around him briefly before he was turned to face the others. “Hogwarts then,” Severus said succinctly. “Have you got a plan to get around the forces that stand guard over the school?”

They stared at him dumbly and Ron couldn’t help but smile when Severus let out a small snort. “Of course not. I expected it from you Potter but I see you’ve been a bad influence on Draco. A Slytherin should know better. As it so happens, I do. Our first stop is Hogsmeade.”

**

As soon as they arrived at the sleepy village alarms began to sound all over Hogsmeade. The summer air was damp from an earlier rain and Ron felt it clinging to his skin. It’d been a long time since he’d been out in the open. He wanted to close his eyes and turn his face up to the sky to see the stars but he didn’t dare. They were exposed and in danger.

Severus led them away from the main street and Ron felt a hint of excitement as they walked hurriedly behind him. Ron knew he should be terrified, traveling with some of Voldemort’s most hated enemies. That Severus had fooled Voldemort for so long had turned the Dark Lord’s anger into seething hatred. It was only the necessity that he kill Harry himself that made Severus the Dark Lord’s second most wanted.

Ron _was_ terrified; he could admit that to himself. There was nothing brave about denying fear and he moved forward anyway. He meant what he’d said earlier in the dark street. He would see Voldemort defeated for the things he’d done to him, for the things he’d done to Draco and others like him, and the things he’d made Severus do in his name.

A doorway to the right opened as they passed and a hiss brought Severus to it immediately. He passed through the door without hesitation, expecting the others to keep up.

“What in Merlin’s name are _you_ doing here?”      

As Ron turned a corner, Harry, Hermione, and Draco directly behind him, the room was filled with a warm light. Severus stood before a bearded man who seemed both old and worn but venerable and vivacious at the same time.

“We need entrance to Hogwarts,” Severus said softly. “Tonight.”

It amazed Ron, the way Severus had such a soft, gentle tone to his voice and how people seemed to cringe away from it. He had heard cruelty from his Master’s lips, heard him cold and emotionless when he was dealing with the Death Eaters and the trials of being a double agent. He’d also heard his patience though as he taught Ron the things he’d forgotten; like his sister’s name or Harry’s birthday or the name of his favorite Quidditch team. He’d heard his words filled with tenderness and compassion as few ever had. Severus had gathered his full height though and he had his head tilted back to look down his nose at the man before him.

“Have you lost your mind?” the man asked. “You can’t move anywhere inside the castle without sending Voldemort a message. He’ll bring every Death Eater he can call to you.”

“So be it. We have to go, Aberforth. If you hear the alarm for Hogwarts tonight, you know what to do.”

“Snape, who is this?” Harry asked. Draco seemed content to let Severus take the lead but when Ron looked he could see that both Hermione and Harry were unsettled.

“Aberforth Dumbledore, at your service, Mr. Potter.” He bowed slightly, and then looked to Hermione. “Ms. Granger. Mr. Malfoy.” As he finished with Draco who had returned a slight nod in the old man’s direction, he looked at Ron. “Weasley,” he said with a snort. “Your family has been stirring a lot of trouble lately. They were quiet until a few months back, and then the whole of the Weasley family seemed to be on Voldemort’s wanted list. I don’t know what you have planned here tonight, but there is never enough help when you want it and too much trouble when you don’t. No doubt set on some grand scheme my brother set you on.”

“A scheme of our own, thank you,” Harry said sharply.

“Can you get us into Hogwarts?” Hermione asked quickly. Ron could see the way the other man’s words about his brother had bothered Harry. Ron knew he’d missed something but he had no idea what yet. Like too much of his life, there were holes he didn’t have time to stop up with information. “We think we found a way to stop him, but we have to get to the castle.”

The old man looked at Hermione for a moment then let out a deep sigh. He looked up at the portrait on the opposite wall before nodding. The girl in the portrait nodded then smiled shyly at the rest of them before walking away.

“If it’s safe, you’ll have passage tonight.”

He disappeared into another room then and came back with a tray of bread and cheese. He brought out mugs and a pot of tea. When Severus took a cup the rest of them sat at the table with him and settled in to wait.

Ron didn’t taste the tea, or the bread, though Severus kept handing him food and filling his mug. Part of him was terrified of getting captured again but he looked up at Severus and let out a short breath. “You won’t let them, will you?”

Severus seemed to know what he was asking. His eyes widened for a moment before his scowl appeared, lips drawn tight. He looked at Ron for a moment before nodding his head slightly. “I won’t let it come to that, but if anything happens, if it is obvious they will capture you, I will kill you myself.”

The others gasped behind him but Ron closed his eyes. “Thank you, Master.”

He was afraid to open his eyes to see what was in Severus’ eyes but he was saved from that as the portrait came back for them. The girl in the picture didn’t speak but as she moved closer it became obvious she wasn’t alone; another light shone behind her as she entered the room. She smiled then moved aside as a young man stepped into the room.

He looked too thin; the clothes he wore sat loose around him. Bruises decorated his face and forearms where his shirt sleeves had been rolled back.

“Neville!” Harry shouted the man’s name and ran to him, pulling him into a quick embrace. Hermione did the same, smiling.

A moment later, he spotted Ron and stilled. “Blimey, Ron? We thought you were dead. Even with the posters that went up we thought it was just a rouse.”

He took a step towards Ron but Ron backed away just as Severus stepped between them. Draco was at Ron’s side. Neither made a threatening move and Ron knew they were supporting him but Neville – who apparently knew him – stopped immediately, eyes wide and shifting between Severus, Draco, and Ron.

“It’s a lot to explain,” Harry said from behind Neville.

“It’s nice to meet you Neville, though I doubt it’s our first meeting.” Ron decided quick and callus was the way to deal with it tonight. “I was captured and tortured and now I don’t remember a bloody thing except what happened since I was captured. So, can we get into Hogwarts tonight and kill the bastard that did it, or shall we sit on our bums and have more tea with Aberforth while Voldemort is out there killing people?”

Neville stared at Ron for a few minutes then shook his head as if he was trying to wrap his brain around it all. “Right. Alright, so Hogwarts isn’t what it used to be. The halls are patrolled and the Gryffindor house has been eliminated.”

He seemed to be waiting for their outrage but Ron knew they’d already heard about that. In the grand scheme of things it was nothing, but Ron knew that Harry and Hermione had both been appalled when they’d heard of it.    

He must have gotten something from their expressions through because he continued on then. “Getting into Hogwarts is easy enough, but what are you planning? The school was taken over by Umbridge once Snape left and it’s just gotten worse.” He looked back at Severus and cringed. “No offense.”

“What precautions have they taken?” Severus ignored the comment and Neville gulped visibly.

“The Carrows are teaching now but mostly they spend their time in the halls, looking for reasons to punish students.”

“What happened to you?” Hermione asked him.

Neville shrugged. “I got cursed by Crabbe before I was able to give him one back. He’ll be with Madam Pomfrey for a few more days before he can make it out. He’s here, monitoring the halls with a handful of former Slytherin. I was here on business with Madam Sprout when Crabbe and I had a falling out.”

“Neville, what’s the likelihood of getting into Dumbledore’s office without getting caught?” Ron asked before they could get caught up in their outrage over the other boy’s trouble.

“Umbridge hasn’t been using it. She’s always got a guard on it, but nothing more.”

“Why isn’t she using Dumbledore’s office?” Harry asked.

Neville looked over at Severus, a small smile on his lips. “The last Headmaster didn’t pass along the password and locked it against anyone else’s use. She’s tried to get the other professors to open it for her but they can’t either.”

“Won’t.”

“What Professor?”

“They won’t. Minerva has always had the ability to enter the Headmaster’s office in times of need.”

That made Neville smile. “Umbridge said as much, but McGonagall swore she couldn’t open the door.”

“There are other ways in besides the door, Longbottom.”

“Who is guarding the office?” Harry asked.

“Tonight? Goyle.”

Draco smiled. “I think it’s time I visited my old friends.”

Hermione put a hand on Draco’s arm. “Draco?”

“It’ll be alright Hermione,” Draco gave her a small smile. “I owe his family more harm than I could ever do. I won’t kill him. Doesn’t mean it won’t feel good about sending him flying against a wall or knocking his front teeth out.”

“Malfoy?” Neville seemed to find his voice again and he eyed Draco with obvious mistrust.

“He’s one of us now Neville,” Harry said instantly.

Neville looked at the way Hermione’s hand rested on Draco’s arm and his eyes widened like he understood. Ron wondered what he would really think, if he knew the whole truth, but he knew they didn’t have time for that tonight. Maybe someday he’d get to see all his old school friends and see what they thought of the lives Harry, Hermione, and Ron had made for themselves. If they lived that long, Ron hoped to get to know them all again and find out.

“Alright. So.  Low patrols at night. Are you ready now?” They nodded and Neville indicated the tunnel. “They locked the Gryffindor halls when they reassigned us to new houses but we found another way in. No one can get into the Gryffindor common rooms since the doors are cursed so the Order was able to set up a safe house of sorts there. A handful of us that left Hogwarts come back in shifts to keep an eye on things here. We help Aberforth out and he sends us news and supplies if we need them. You’ll be a sight for sore eyes, that’s for certain.”

He led them down a narrow tunnel. By the time they got to the end they were all stooping to walk and Ron began to feel claustrophobic. If he walked a little too close to Severus and pulled at Hermione’s hand behind him, no one said anything.  

The end of the tunnel was a glaring light and more noise than Ron could handle. He pressed himself back against the tunnel walls and let the others pass by him. Hermione hadn’t wanted to let go of his hand but he begged without words and she seemed to understand. When he was alone in the tunnel he felt he could breathe again. He wasn’t sure what was on the other side of the tunnel but he wasn’t sure he could face a group of people that had expectations for him.

Through the noise outside the tunnel he could see that there was some humor. Whatever else Voldemort was doing, he hadn’t beaten the life out of them yet. It gave Ron the courage to walk to the edge of the tunnel on his own.

Harry and Hermione were in the middle of a maelstrom of embraces and pats on the back. There were too many people Ron didn’t know and he wanted to flee back into the tunnel but he held his ground.

“Ron?”

He didn’t turn his head to see who spoke his name so quietly – so reverently – but he held his head high and clenched his hands into fists to hide the shaking. He didn’t know who spoke to him, he had no memory of names or voices, so he looked out to see what would happen next.

No one moved forward and Ron realized Severus and Draco were standing at his side now. He wasn’t sure if the others were avoiding the Slytherin pair or if they realized the change in him but he welcomed the respite from questions even if it didn’t quiet them from the eyes of the others.

“Alright, we need to get into Dumbledore’s office. We might need some help later, but for now we just need some space to work.”

No one hindered them when Neville led them towards another door.

“This wasn’t here before,” Hermione said instantly.

“We needed a place to go so we went to the Room of Requirements. Guess it’s not just for practice rooms,” Neville said with a grin. “We needed a way to get into Gryffindor house and it gave us a new door. The interesting thing about it is this door always lets us out wherever we need to be in the castle.”

“Brilliant.” Harry was smiling as they walked but when they approached the door he pulled his wand out. “Ready?” he asked the others.

Ron grabbed Severus’ hand and stopped him. “It’s now or never, Master.” He ignored the gasp he heard. Ron wasn’t ashamed to let the others know what sort of relationship he had with their former professor but it was more a slip of the tongue than an intention. He saw the way Severus’ eyes searched him and Ron let go of his arm to hold his hand out. “I need my wand.”

Severus took it from the folds of his robes where he’d been holding it since Ron had been captured. He didn’t know how Severus had gotten hold of it, but he’d shown it to Ron years before, promising to return it to him at the proper time.

He handed it over now, bowing his head slightly over his hands as he held it out. “You have been braver than any wizard or witch I have ever known. I pray you have no need to use it tonight, but if you do, I know that your aim and your deeds will hold true.”

He felt Draco’s hand on his shoulder as he took his wand. The wood felt warm to his touch, welcoming. For the first time in years he felt at home and whole. It wasn’t just the wand, but Severus acknowledging his readiness. It was Draco at his back and Harry and Hermione watching, ready to go into battle with him. It was taking action against the creature that was responsible for the reprehensible things that had been done to him.

He held his wand up and whispered as his wand lit up at the tip. It was a small piece of magic, something he could have done early in his first year, but years of enforced wandless living made it seem like a miracle. He could see the determination build in the eyes of the people he had come to care about since his memories had been taken and he gave them a grim smile.

“Let’s put an end to this.”

**

Harry led the way through the halls with a determined stride. Hermione was at his side and Draco and Ron were at his back. Severus was in the rearguard position and Harry almost wished someone would attack but no one did. Neville was right; the doorway let them out a corridor over from Dumbledore’s entrance way and the halls were deserted at night for fear of being caught by the roaming guards.

When they turned the corner Harry had the spell ready to release. Goyle’s eyes widened as he saw them approach but it was Draco who let loose with the incantation that sent the Slytherin skidding along the hall.

“He’ll come!” Goyle spat at them, wrenching up his sleeve to show the dark mark upon his forearm. Severus was already in motion with another curse but Goyle set his hand to the mark, turning it a dark black before Severus was able to incapacitate him.

“Hurry,” Severus said, gesturing with his wand until ropes appeared around an unconscious Goyle. He pulled him alongside them and stopped in front of the Headmaster’s office. “Chocolate Frogs,” he said softly, watching as the guarding griffin began to turn.

“Albus was very fond of his picture on the chocolate frog card. It seemed a suitable tribute,” Snape said softly.

Harry smiled at that, wondering just what his life might have been like if he’d learned to trust Severus Snape a little earlier. There were things he wanted to ask the man, to understand why he did the things he did, but Harry knew without a doubt that he was Dumbledore’s man. That he was Ron’s. There was no amount of gratitude that would repay the debt he felt for the strength and personality that Ron was beginning to show again. For a while Harry thought Ron was truly gone, but Severus never gave up on him. Now, even without his memories, Ron was coming back to them.

“He’d have like that,” Harry replied just before Severus turned to take the stairs to the office.

The office was simpler than it had been the last time Harry had been there. Severus had taken some of Dumbledore’s things and moved them into cabinets in the back of the room. The feel was colder, more efficient and less welcoming, but there was still an air of knowledge and consideration in the room.

Ron moved before any of them, going to stand before the portraits that were sleeping on the wall. “Headmasters, wake up!   We have to save Hogwarts before it’s too late.”

A few figures startled awake, including Dumbledore’s portrait itself.

“Ah, Severus. I do believe you’ve come in time to take care of a few odds and ends that I had left behind.”

“You had a list, Headmaster,” Ron didn’t hesitate to speak and Harry was caught again by the difference between the boy he’d known and the man Ron had become through his trials. “Voldemort’s horcruxes.”

“A very dark business, I’m afraid,” Dumbledore said softly. “I didn’t live long enough to tell anyone that I had been poisoned by one of them. Severus, you were away on one of the Dark Lord’s missions and I’m afraid your replacement was not as quick to find a cure as you would have been. I would not have lived to see these times ended. It is our young who must win this fight, I fear.”

“Albus, the horcruxes?”

The Headmaster looked down at Severus and nodded. “My memories, Severus. They are, if I am being honest, most cleverly hidden in a vial with the misleading label of ‘dinner with Slughorn.’”

Severus was at the back of the room already, pulling open a cabinet that held the Pensieve. Next to it was a shelf with vials full of memories. Ron had already moved to Severus’ side to find what they were looking for. Harry felt almost useless with the two of them there, but waited until Severus had the Pensieve filled with the right memory.

“Potter first,” Severus said, surprising him. “Dumbledore would have wanted it that way. Draco can relive it with you. The rest of us will watch when you’re through.”

Harry stood before the Pensieve and waited for Draco to join him. He could see Draco hadn’t used one before and Harry gave him a brief smile. “Just stick your head in Draco. Nothing but memories.”

He did as he was instructed then, putting his face into the water of Dumbledore’s memories. He felt as if he was falling from a great height but his landing was soft and smooth. Draco was there a moment later at his side, staring around them. They were still in the Headmaster’s office but this was still Dumbledore’s clutter and chaos.

Before him, Dumbledore was having a conversation with a painting of a previous Headmaster.

“You think you should leave this to children, Albus?”

“Voldemort will take the fight to Harry, no matter how we try to protect him. He’s lost too much to stand aside and the only way to save him is to prepare him. We have to give him the tools to succeed,” Dumbledore answered. “Harry isn’t just a child. He’s a great wizard.”

“Because of what Voldemort did to him.”

“Because of what Voldemort did, they all are. Longbottom has his strength from confronting his fears. Granger learned to turn her love of books into practical magic and heroism. Malfoy may someday turn from his family’s legacy of darkness to find and embrace his own beliefs. None of those is possible without Voldemort.”

“So you will leave cryptic messages for the boy and hope he can find his way to cheat death against the greatest dark wizard in history?”

“If I leave anything too obvious it will never reach him and I cannot put this on him if there is any other way. My memories, then, will have to suffice. Harry,” he said then, looking away from the portrait to stare into a mirror, as if he was talking to himself.

“My dear boy, I am sorry to pass this burden on to you. I hope that you have found allies to make this burden less. I have no doubt that Granger and Weasley are at your side and in that at least I can find some solace. Your path has long been crossed with Voldemort’s and we are beyond hope that this can be settled in any other manner. Voldemort has become impossible to kill, not because he is such a great wizard, but because he chose to shatter himself. To live eternal, he has committed the darkest magic to sever parts of his soul and hide them away. You have destroyed one already, though little did we understand the importance of that act at the time. Tom Riddle’s diary was a horcrux, a small part of Voldemort’s soul. I have learned that there are six horcruxes. You know that Voldemort suffered losses. In the past year I found three of his horcruxes and I was able to destroy them with the basilisk fang, as you did Tom’s journal. I found his father’s ring, Salazar Slytherin’s locket, and the cup of Helga Hufflepuff. If I am correct, there are two horcruxes still to be found. One should be found in the Ravenclaw house. For a final horcrux, I believe it would be something close to Voldemort, something that would never be far from him.”

Harry had an idea of what it could be. He could remember all too well Ron’s early screams when he woke in the middle of the night. He didn’t know how many nights he’d sat outside the room Severus shared with Ron, listening to their former professor comfort Ron – and unknowingly Harry himself. He didn’t know how many times he’d found Hermione in the same position. It changed from night to night, the horrors that Ron never confessed to them but that they overheard through the slight sliver in the door that Harry was certain Severus knew about. Large in his dreams was Voldermort’s favorite torture for Ron; the threat of being eaten alive by Nagini.

“Remember this Harry. To create a horcrux is a terrible thing. To do so, one must be willing to kill another person. When that happens, the soul breaks and attaches itself to another surface. Sometimes it is what the caster wished. On occasion though, when malice is great enough, the soul can rebound into another living creature.   These horcruxes can feel the destruction of the other. They can find one another. Remember Harry, to trust in your instincts and to always trust in yourself.”

Harry found himself standing with the others again, uncertain, as always, of Dumbledore’s message. He stepped back, Draco looking at him with questioning eyes as Hermione, Ron, and Severus stepped towards the Pensieve.

“The alarm has gone up,” Severus said as he looked at Harry. “All of Hogwarts is on alert. I sent word to Remus when we left. The Order will be ready to come when Aberforth calls them.”

“I didn’t want them involved,” Harry glared at his former professor even if he knew it was childish. They needed help but he’d wanted to keep everyone safe. If this didn’t work the Order could be finished in one fell swoop.

“You want Voldemort dead. We are all prepared to risk our lives to this end. I would not have come without plans.”

Harry saw the quick flick of his eyes towards Ron and Harry understood then. Severus had given Ron his promise, he might have known it was coming before Ron had asked it even, and he’d refused to come with Ron without a way to get him out of the fight if he needed to.

“You remember your way around my storerooms, do you not?” Severus asked Harry. Harry nodded and Severus smiled. “At the back of the room you will find my mark on a corner of the wall.” He handed Harry a ring that had been on his finger. “Press this to the mark. There will be a table of ingredients and a scroll next to it. Follow the directions. I have long prepared a means to defend myself if the Dark Lord sent his followers against me.”

He didn’t say anything else, but dropped his head to the Pensieve and left Harry and Draco to leave the safety of their numbers and find the potions room.

**

Hermione felt as if her lungs were filled with cool spring air as she lifted her head out of the former Headmaster’s memories. She struggled for a moment before she looked at Severus and Ron. “Do you understand what Dumbledore was getting at?” she asked Severus.

She had an idea of what he was trying to say – an idea that terrified her to the core – and she prayed it was wrong. The look in Severus’ eye told her she wasn’t.

“He believes Harry to be the seventh horcrux that Voldemort didn’t mean to make,” Severus said softly.

She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. “He can’t die. No, not after all this.”

She felt pieces of herself falling apart at the thought of it. She’d lost Ron. She loved the man she was getting to know but he wasn’t the same boy she’d fallen for all those years ago; dirt-smudged nose and a funny little smile that was always waiting. She had Draco and Harry now and she couldn’t lose either of them.

“Granger,” Severus took her by the arm. “I have not spent the last nine years protecting him from the Dark Lord to fail now. There are some things the Dark Lord cannot ever understand and those will be his undoing. Have faith in your friends, Hermione.”

When Severus stepped away, she felt other arms wrapped around her and the fact that Ron had come to comfort her shocked her out of her fears. She took a quick breath before drying her eyes and stepping away. “I’m fine,” she said softly. “He’s right. We have to keep going. I can’t sit her worrying about what might happen.”

Ron gave her a small smile. “Let’s go then. Harry will head back to Gryffindor when he’s done.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“Beat him there. Dumbledore said we needed something from Ravenclaw. Let’s find a Ravenclaw and ask.”

“Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because I’m the brains of this outfit.” Hermione laughed at Ron’s words and Ron smiled back at her. “You don’t really expect me to believe you and Harry were behind all our great ideas, do you?”

“Of course not,” she said, biting back laughter at the way Ron was able to help her turn away from her fears. “To be honest, I’m fairly sure that was the first clever idea any of us ever had.”

“There was the time the three of you decided to steal from my storeroom,” Severus spoke as he put the Pensieve back and made certain to leave the room as it had last looked. If someone found a way into the Headmaster’s office it would at least look undisturbed.

“We did?” Ron asked.

“Twice. Second year and fourth year.”

“Fourth year wasn’t us actually,” Hermione said with a grin as they headed towards the door. Since he was no longer her professor, Hermione found a fierce joy in letting him know what they’d actually gotten away with. “Dobby the house elf did that.”

“And what did you do with the ingredients during your second year?”

They were in the hallway then, wands out and ready to protect themselves. The halls were still quiet but in the distance there was noise. Umbridge had probably called the students into the great hall to make sure they were all accounted for.

“Polyjuice potion.”

“You made polyjuice potion during second year?” Severus asked. The look he gave her was tinged with respect and she smiled again.

“Yes, in the girls lavatory. Harry and Ron were certain Draco was the heir of Slytherin so they took the place of Crabbe and Goyle to question him.”

Severus actually let out a small laugh and Hermione wondered how they could be smiling at a time like this but she felt her spirits lift as they walked towards the halls to the Room of Requirement.

**

“You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Neville asked as Ron told them what they were looking for. Harry and Draco had just walked in and the entire room was listening to Ron and Neville.

“None at all. It’s going to be something small. Hufflepuff had a cup. Slytherin had an amulet. There’s been a ring and a diary. It could be anything but it would have had significance to the head of Ravenclaw,” Ron said as Harry came to stand beside him.

“Do we have any Ravenclaws here?” Harry called out.

A young girl came forward and smiled shyly. “I am.” She was followed by a handful of younger students.

“Is there anything you can think of that fits? Some artifact that Ravenclaw would have celebrated.”

“We don’t celebrate anything, though there is something,” she looked like she was afraid to speak of it but Harry and Ron both encouraged her. “There is something we lost; the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. It was supposed to make the wearer cleverer. It’s been lost for ages.”

“That’s it. It had to be. Now, what the hell is a diadem?” Ron asked.

“A tiara,” a voice called out from behind them. Harry turned to greet the new voice and Ron stared at the thin wisp of a girl with long blond hair and an expression that made him think there were things being said that no one else could hear.

“Luna,” Harry said, hugging the girl close. Luna smiled at them as if their friendship was unexpected. Ron had heard of her more than once and he was glad to see Harry and Hermione’s fondness had matched her impression.

“The diadem was lost and no one has seen it in years.”

“We need to find it.”

“Maybe not,” Ron said softly. “You said the Room of Requirements not only gives you what you need, but that it creates doorways to where you need to go. Why not just go there?”

“That’s brilliant,” Hermione said again.

“Still doubt that I’m the brains of this operation?” Ron asked.

Hermione laughed and Severus came up behind her, smiling but with a group of people behind him. Some he knew and some he didn’t. An older witch came forward and Harry and Hermione both seemed to defer to her.

“Potter, what do you need?”

“Professor McGonagall,” Harry said with a deep sigh. “We just need time. We’ve got to find the horcrux so we can put an end to all this.”

“A ho- we’ll do what we can, Potter.”

She began ordering people around, students and adults alike. As they began to move, Remus and Sirius came after them, along with Ron’s family. Even Percy stood before them and Ron hoped that whatever else happened tonight, his brother gained the forgiveness from his family that he needed. Without it, Percy would never be able to admit the wrongs he’d done them.

“Did you really think you were going to do this alone?” Remus asked.

Harry was already charging towards the door to go to the Room of Requirements and Ron smiled at the werewolf. “We were trying, though Master Snape made sure we failed miserably.”

“You should be grateful,” Sirius said, barely hiding the anger in his tone.

“Did you expect him to do any different?” Ron asked as they followed after Harry. “You have years of memories and I have only the last six months. How did I see this coming and you didn’t?”

Remus gave him a small smile. “Very true, Ron. What do we need to do here?”

“We need a basilisk fang.”

“Or the sword of Gryffindor,” Hermione put in as they walked.

“What?”

“The sword absorbed the poison of the basilisk fang when Harry used it in the Chamber of Secrets.”

“Great. You don’t happen to have the sword of Gryffindor lying around, do you?” Ron asked Remus.

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“A basilisk fang we can find though,” Sirius said. “Dumbledore had one in his office, didn’t he?”

“Let’s find out,” Remus answered.

The two were off running then, and Ron had to speed up to keep with Harry and Hermione. When they reached the room, they had to wait for the doorway to appear and Severus turned Ron towards him. “I have to do what I can to help the others. Stay with Harry and Draco and be careful.”

Ron nodded but pulled Severus closer until he could grace him with a chaste kiss. “You too. I plan on ending this tonight so I can spend the rest of my life forgetting about it.”

Severus took a step back and Ron fought the need to follow him. Severus was all the safety Ron could remember, but Harry and Hermione and Draco were a part of that too now. Along with Remus and Sirius, they were the family he knew and cared for and he knew they’d all watch each other’s backs.

“We’ll find him when this is done,” Draco promised.

Ron nodded as he gave Draco a small smile. They were both facing off against incredible personal darkness with the people they loved in the balance. There was no one who understood what Ron was going through and at that moment there was no one else he trusted more at his side.

“Think anyone could have ever seen this coming, Malfoy?” Ron asked. “You and me, going into a battle together?”

Draco smiled. “Only against one another. We should show them just how wrong they were to think we’d never be friends.”

Ron smiled grimly. “We’ll show the Death Eaters how wrong they were to keep us alive.”

**

Finding the diadem was anticlimactic after all of that, but as they left the Room of Requirements they were met with screaming and the taste of magic in the air.

The building shook with tremors and they knew the Death Eaters and the Order had come face to face. Harry threw the diadem to Ron and pushed Draco towards him. “Find Sirius and destroy it.”

“Where are you going?”

“To find Nagini,” Harry said, running off down the stairs.

“You don’t have a way to kill the snake!” Ron shouted out after him.

“Find me after you destroy that thing!”

Before Ron could respond, Draco pushed him down as a curse flew over them. They both spun at the same time, wands ready for the three Death eaters who came after them.

Ron let out a counter-curse to stop the next attack as Draco sent a curse back at them. Two of them were hit and fell to the floor convulsing. Ron followed Draco’s attack with another and their third opponent was unconscious.

“Nice work,” Draco admired.

“Let’s find the others,” Ron said, running away from their battle to find what he needed.

**

Severus swept through the castle, tossing curse and counter-curses as he could. He knew the Dark Lord was close, hiding somewhere until he could be drawn out. Snape didn’t stay in one place long as he worked, knowing that once the Dark Lord found him he would come to repay Severus for his years of false service.

**

“What the hell does a basilisk fang look like?” Sirius demanded as they stood at the edge of Dumbledore’s office. The cabinet before them had more than one fang and they didn’t know that they were looking for.

“I say we take a page from Harry’s book,” Remus said. He faced the cabinet and held his hand out. “ _Accio_ basilisk fang.”

To Sirius’ immense surprise, the fang shot out of the cabinet and landed in his lover’s hand.

“Well I’ll be damned.”

**

The main doors of the castle broke open with such force that Draco thought they’d been broken off. A haze of dust and debris clouded his vision for a moment but then Hagrid was followed into Hogwarts by the rest of the Order.

“A little late Flannigan?” Draco taunted the former Gryffindor.

“I like to make a grand entrance,” he said, muttering a curse at a Death Eater before he could attack them.

“Good choice then,” Ron said, spinning to deliver a killing blow to one of their enemies.

“Didn’t know you had it in you, Ron,” the other boy said.

Ron didn’t have time to make explanations but Draco didn’t need to hear the next words to know the truth. He’d seen it in Ron’s eyes when the Death Eater revealed himself.

“We have history.”

 

**

“Ron!”

Ron turned in time to see Remus and Sirius cutting a path towards them. The Death Eaters had come to the school’s call in droves and it would have terrified Ron to see so many of them there if he hadn’t already known so many people were dark at heart.

“We have it,” Remus pulled the fang from his jacket and handed it to Ron. “Where can we do this?”

Ron knelt down on the floor there in the middle of the battle and felt Draco, Remus, and Sirius enclose him in a circle. The circle grew slightly as Luna and Neville joined them and Ron was able to have a little room to work.

 

**

Harry found what he needed just in time to watch Severus come into the great hall and he knew then that their professor had come for this exact reason. Other than Harry, there was no other person who could bring Voldemort out of the shadows.

He saw Nagini trailing close behind Voldemort. Harry just needed some way to kill it.

“We have to help him,” Hermione said, pointing to Severus. “Ron would never survive if something happened to him.”

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but pain shook him to the core, knocking his knees out from under him and it was only Hermione’s quick reflexes that kept him from falling completely.

“Harry?”

He heard her fear but all Harry could see was Ron, the fang in hand as he destroyed the diadem.

One left.

And… whatever else he had to do to see this done.

 

**

As soon as the fang struck the diadem, black smoke began to rise from it. It seemed to envelope Ron completely, leaving him in the darkness by himself. He fought the rising panic as he was cut off from the others. He knew he wasn’t. Rationally he knew he was still in the middle of the fight but nothing seemed to move around him and sound was muffled as if it was far away.

Ron closed his eyes, trying to gather himself together but the darkness behind his eyes gave way to screams in the back of his head; his memories played out on loop as it was every night when he tried to sleep.

He was falling, unable to move from the darkness and unable to save himself when a gust of wind came through, tearing away the dark cloud with it.

Ron looked up to the smiling faces of the twins.

“Always knew a portable tornado would be handy,” one of them said. Fred, he thought.

“Never know when a little chaos will turn your day into an extravagant event,” George answered.

They didn’t stay with him, but moved on to the next target, but Ron was more than grateful for their interference. Draco was there a second later, pulling Ron up off his knees.

“We need to find Harry,” Draco shouted over the din of battle.

Ron gripped the basilisk fang tight. “Let’s get on that then.”

 

**

“Severus!”

The battle seemed to still as Voldemort himself shouted.

Severus Snape had been waiting for this day for almost nineteen years and he had never wanted it as fiercely as he did now. He had suffered silently for years because of Lily’s death but it was Ron’s face that flashed before him now when he thought of vengeance.

“Lord Voldemort,” Severus said, bowing slightly to the dark wizard.

Severus had no thought of surviving this duel. He simply hoped to give Harry and Ron the time to complete their task. Ron would mend without him, no matter what the others thought. If Ron survived and Severus didn’t, Ron would find a note waiting for him back in their room. With it was a draught that would bond Ron to another, someone who could care for him if he was too damaged to do it himself. It came with explicit instructions to survive him, no matter what else happened. He couldn’t stay out of this fight and it was all he could do to insure that Ron lived if he didn’t.

“Why Severus?” Voldemort asked, his head cocked to the side slightly as he looked to the man who had been his faithful servant for so long.

It was time to put all the cards on the table. “Because you killed her.”

“Her?” Voldemort stared at him for a moment before he smiled. “Her? A woman? Oh Severus, tell me you didn’t betray me for something as inane as love?”

“You will never understand the depths of pain you caused because you can never feel love,” Severus answered. “You will never overcome the Order because you will never fight for what you love.”

“Who was this woman that could make you betray your master, Severus?”

“Lily Potter.”

**

Harry heard the name and almost lost his head to it. Literally, Hermione pushed him to the ground before a jinx took his head.

“Did you-”

“Not now, Harry,” Hermione said as she pushed him again.   “We need to get down there. Ron used the fang so it’s just the snake. He’ll have the fang down there for us.”

“Yeah, I just.”

“Later, I promise.” She threw them both behind a wall and kissed him quickly before pulling him towards the door.

**

The battle was in full flame before Ron found Harry and Hermione again. “I have it,” he said, holding it out to Harry.

“We saw the smoke. Are you alright?” Hermione asked Ron.

“Fine. What do we do now?”

“Severus has Voldemort occupied. We might be able to sneak up on the snake now,” Draco said.

“Let’s go then.”

**

“You are not worth my wand, Severus. You had everything you could have wanted. I gave you power and importance. I gave you a future. I even gave you a pet to call your own,” the Dark Lord sneered. “What happened to him, Severus? Was he too used for you before I handed him over? Was he too broken?”

Severus knew he was being baited but after so long in the Dark Lord’s service it was freeing to be able to speak his mind. Even if it wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

“Don’t speak of him, you filth.”

Eyes widened, Voldemort stopped pacing back and forth to stare at Severus.

“It cannot be. You, you care for this pet. I understand the affection that comes with a pet,” he said as Nagini moved into his hand, “but I would never be stupid enough to fall in love with one. Oh Severus, that is a beautiful sentiment and utterly pathetic.”

**

Neville hid behind the teacher’s table that had been shattered and thrown against the wall, trying to get a clear shot at the Death Eaters. There were so many people in the fight that it was hard to keep up on what was happening. Most eyes were at least partially turned towards Snape and Voldemort though. Neville scrambled back as a stray bolt almost hit him and found himself staring at the hard metal edge of a sword handle. It was almost enough to make him forget where he was, but the sword was there, coming out of the sorting hat, just when Neville needed something.

He took the sword in hand and crept out further from his hiding place. Snape seemed to notice him and Neville thought he’d even nodded faintly in his direction. He had no idea what would happen next, but he was ready.

**

“If you’re planning on killing me, just do it,” Severus said as he tried to draw Voldemort back into action. His need to taunt Severus could back fire and let him get the upper hand on Severus and he was already more than aware of the Dark Lord’s strengths in this fight.

“I think the pleasure will go to my pet,” Voldemort said with glee. “And when she is done with you, my dearest Nagini will kill your pet as well.”

Nagini slithered closer and Severus hoped everything was ready. He struck quickly, not against the Dark Lord, but at the snake, causing Nagini to fly across the room to where Longbottom was waiting.

The boy didn’t miss the opportunity and he sliced at the snake’s head before she could land.

“No!” Voldemort screamed as the death of his pet but turned dark eyes on Severus. “ _Avada Kedavra_!”

Severus was braced for the curse and he had a moment to hope that Ron wasn’t there watching, when he felt a body pushing him away. He fell to the floor and looked up in surprise as Potter was hit by the Unforgiveable Curse.

**

Ron stared for a second at the place Harry had been standing before he reached for Hermione. Her shock lasted only a moment longer than his and she screamed Harry’s name, reaching for him though Ron blocked her path. Voldemort stared in wonder at Harry’s crumpled body. Ron didn’t have time to wonder if Severus had been injured because Voldemort turned to face them.

“Oh, my dear Pet,” he said, his smile as joyless and false as it ever had been. “Harry Potter is dead and Severus will follow him soon.” As he spoke, he pointed his wand to the other wizard and pulled him up into the air. “What will you do, I wonder, without Severus to protect you? What else will you give up of yourself?”

“You can’t have him,” Hermione said behind him. He felt her hand in his and he felt the strength there. She might be grieving for Harry but she would never let it overcome her during this fight. “You don’t know it is to fight for something worth fighting for. We will never bow down to you and we will never give up.”

“Even with Potter dead?”

“We will all die gladly to stop you,” Draco said from behind Voldemort. He didn’t waste another word as he aimed a curse at the Dark Lord. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, but it caused him to let go of Severus and Ron and Hermione scrambled to his side. Neville was there, standing with the sword of Gryffindor, between the Dark Lord and Harry’s body.

“This is almost amusing,” Voldemort said, “but I am tired of these delays.”

“You’re really going to hate this one then,” Harry said, standing up and pushing Neville behind him. “You and me, Voldemort.”

“As it was always meant to be.”

**

Harry was still reeling in pain.  His body ached from deep within and he knew it was what Dumbledore had feared all along; Harry was a horcrux and the only way he’d been able to kill that part of Voldemort was to let the wizard do it himself. He’d like to think given enough time he’d have realized that the killing curse would only kill the part of Voldemort that needed killing, but Harry’s life had been spared without any thought of his. All he had known was that Severus was going to die and he couldn’t let that happen to Ron. He’d thrown himself in front of his former professor and believed it would end him in a final sacrifice fitting of his parent’s legacy to him.

Instead, he felt every nerve on fire as he sat on the floor, motionless and unable to do anything more than breath. Hearing the others had given him the strength to stand again and he had. Hearing them, he’d felt the truth of the magic that had saved his life all those years ago.

He staggered in front of his friends, demanding a fight and Voldemort bowed willingly, ready to deliver what he thought was the final blow.

“It’s never just you, Harry,” a voice said beside him. He didn’t turn his head but he could feel Ron’s chest bumping against his back. “It’s what he’s never understood. You are never alone, Harry.”

Hermione was at his other side then and when he turned his head he could see Draco next to her. Looking at Ron, he wasn’t surprised to see Severus behind him or Neville and Luna standing next to their professor. Professor McGonagall and the others from the Order filled in around them and Harry could have laughed except he feared they would all die beside him tonight. Remus and Sirius were there as well, directly behind his best friend and lovers.

Voldemort stood utterly alone in the chaos of lifeless bodied and fallen stone. There were Death Eaters behind him, but none dared to stand close to him in his moment of triumph.

When Voldemort raised his wand, the killing curse on his lips, Harry closed his eyes and felt the press of his friends and family; the people he loved and who loved him were with him as much as Voldemort always had been. The Dark Lord may have hidden a tiny piece of his soul inside Harry, but it was miniscule in comparison to the gifts of love and laughter from the Weasley family and Remus and Sirius. The faith Ron had in him, the utter devotion he showed before he had been captured and tonight – even without years of memories to fall back on – gave Harry the strength to open his eyes and watch Voldemort’s magic begin to unfold. The love of Hermione and Draco, their acceptance and the hard fought bond between them gave him the strength to hold his wand up and let loose with his own magic.

It was wordless, without thought and without intention, except that Harry let the love and faith and hope of his loved ones fill him and guide him, hoping to protect and serve them as they had so often helped and served his goals.

The blast of the competing magics was staggering and Harry couldn’t see past the negative afterimage in his mind. The battle coursed through him though and he knew if he gave in that he would die this time. He didn’t know if it would end with him or if the others would die alongside him but he refused to doubt.

Love was the magic that Voldemort couldn’t understand. Love was the magic that he couldn’t undo. It was the one magic that could undo him though.

He felt the way the power tried to push towards him, trying to reach him against the racing current of his own magic. It moved forward little by little, but then it began to recede. Harry opened himself more to the people around him, the memories of his time with the Order, of his time at Hogwarts. He thought about Ron and the memories he’d sacrificed to keep them all safe when they had unknowingly abandoned him. Of the sacrifice he was making now if Harry failed somehow.

“No!” Harry screamed the word and he felt his power respond. It wasn’t vengeance or pain, but the need to protect and love. It wasn’t just his love, it wasn’t just his magic. It was the light of every person in that room who loved and cherished and hoped. He threw it all at Voldemort and felt the rebounding echoes of pain as Voldemort crumpled under the weight of a power he could never understand.

Harry stumbled forward as he let go of his magic. There was nothing pushing at him and he nearly fell but Ron’s hands were holding him up. He turned to look at the other man and found his curious, concerned frown watching him.

“Alright, Harry?”

“Yeah Ron, I’m alright.”

It was silent for a moment before a cry of victory went up among the survivors. A second later and chaos exploded again as some of the Death Eaters tried to run while others began sending curses into the mass of people before them.

Harry felt numb but he pulled himself up until he was standing on his own two feet again. Students were running into the room screaming as Death Eaters drove them away from the security of the hall Umbridge had kept them in.  

The woman herself came into the room, scowl in place and pink robes perfectly settled around her. Harry wanted to do something, say something to warn the others but before he could do anything, McGonagall was there, facing off against her.

There was too much else happening for him to follow. He saw Bellatrix Lestrange fighting the Weasley women and a group of werewolves were being held off by Remus and Arthur and his sons. Sirius was chasing Pettigrew but Harry barely had the power to stay upright.

“I’ve got you,” Ron said as Harry stumbled again. “No worries, mate. I’ve got you.”

Harry wasn’t sure what Ron expected to happen when he said it, but he doubted it was the way the world went black and Harry fell into the darkness.

**

 

It took two days to get the remaining Deatheaters out of Hogwarts, to find the last of the traps that had been left behind, but Ron hadn’t been there for that. Instead, he’d been in the infirmary sitting at Harry’s side. They had plenty of people coming out of the woodworks to help now that the Dark Lord was gone and Ron had stayed with Draco and Severus to make sure the infirmary was safe.

It was perhaps the most dangerous place in the school those first few hours and he was glad that so many people had come to defend his friends, but he was grateful for the quiet now.

Remus and the rest of the Order were working tirelessly to get the rest of the wizarding world under control. The Ministry needed to be reestablished and the Deatheaters taken from there as well but it would take far longer than two days to clear that mess up.

Harry complained, again, about his bed-ridden state but Madam Pomphrey ignored his complaints once again.

“Harry,” Draco sat on the side of the bed and sighed. “If you don’t stop complaining she’s going to give you some awful tasting concoction that will make you lose your voice.”

“She wouldn’t.”

“Fourth year,” Draco said with a knowing nod. “After that Quidditch match. I couldn’t speak for a whole day before she gave me the antidote and let me leave.”

Harry laughed and Ron joined them, though the look Draco gave Ron made him doubt that it had actually happened.

“Suppose that’s what you get for being such a git back then,” Harry smirked.

“Maybe, but you don’t seem to mind me so much now.”

Harry cupped Draco’s face and Ron watched Draco’s surprise as Harry kissed him softly in front of the whole Infirmary full of people. There were plenty of gasps but Ron felt a pair of eyes on the back of his neck and he looked over his shoulder to see Severus watching them. Ron smiled at him but stayed where he was, as much as he wanted to make his own public declaration.

It wasn’t right still. He knew that. He was still too dependent on Severus to make this more public than it was. No one would accept how much he loved the other man until he could stand on his own two feet better, but he could see that Severus knew. When Ron looked away, he could see it in the eyes of his family too.

His mum even gave him a small smile, as if she might be happy for him.

Three days since Ron had remembered the horcruxes and Dumbledore’s list. Three days to defeat the Dark Lord. Three days and Ron felt like he’d finally begun to heal the way Severus had always said he would.

Hermione came into the room, face forlorn and dirt streaking her hands and face. He didn’t know what she’d seen but she went straight to Harry’s bedside and sat heavily.

“They tried to burn the books but apparently they were bespelled and fought back. The library. It will take years to get it all organized again.”

Ron had the sudden flash of memory, a young woman with a heart bigger than her brains but she hadn’t known it yet. A young man with more courage than he could possibly survive on his own. Ron, his own loyalty already woven into them both though he hadn’t known it yet. He felt a rush of affection for them both, as he had back then.

He looked at Harry and smiled in a way that made Harry gasp. “She really needs to sort out her priorities.”

“Ron?” Harry looked at him in surprise and Ron smiled.

“Just a little bit. That’s it. It’s something though, right? It was real?”

“Yeah,” Harry said with a nod as he reached a hand out to hold onto Ron’s arm. “It was a good memory.”

Hermione’s eyes widened and Ron felt a deeper connection to them than he had before. Like he was remembering them, even if he didn’t remember all the events that had led up to now.

“What memory was that?” Draco asked as he pulled up next to the bed.

Harry started to talk about their first year then, about the time they’d accidently met a three headed dog and Ron listened, most of it unknown to him as well. There was laughter then as people began to recount their own adventures at Hogwarts.

Ron backed away after a few minutes. He enjoyed the levity of the moment, but he had shared all he could. Most of his memories were terrible and dark. It lightened his spirit to know there had been good memories once upon a time though.

“It’s just a step,” Severus said as he stood beside Ron. “There will be many more to come.”

“I might not ever remember it all, I know that. I’m not going to dwell on it. They weren’t happy memories, but this fight was a good one and I’m proud to have those memories,” he said as he looked at Severus. “I’m proud to be here with you. I know you took me in when you had no reason to. You never said it, but I’ve heard enough to know that you had no reason to like me, let alone to put your life on the line as you did. I’m still not as strong as I need to be, but I’m going to get there. And when I am? They’ll know how much I love you. They’ll see how loved I have been.”

“Ron,” Severus shook his head. “I don’t need them to see it. I already know.”

“I sacrificed a lifetime of memories to protect the people I love. I want to make the most of what life I have left making new, better ones. I don’t suppose you could help me with that? Master?”

He used the title teasingly and while part of him was aghast at his own cheek, Severus did the most amazing thing. He laughed. There was no bitterness and no false tone to it. He laughed out of amusement and joy and Ron couldn’t help but follow.

“Oh, my pet,” Severus used the tone with the same teasing quality and Ron settled closer into his side. “We will make so many memories you couldn’t possibly keep them, not if you stored them in a hundred pensieves.”

When Ron looked at his friends, his family, he knew he could finally find peace. He couldn’t undo what had been done and there would always be dark memories, but there was no darkness without light.

Ron’s sacrifice of memory had made him into a pet. If he’d been anything else, he would never have heard what they needed to overthrow the Dark Lord. He and the others were safe now. He had Severus to continue to guide him in his recovery and he had Draco and Harry and Hermione.

It was a sacrifice of memory that brought him here and he didn’t regret it for one moment.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this quite a while ago but through some error in posting, the full story was never published. Hope you enjoyed.


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